Dirty Little Secret
by 4persephone
Summary: Summary: Whether deliberately or not, we all have our secrets.
1. prologue

Title: Dirty Little Secret: Prologue  
Author: 4persephone  
Rating: NC-7 eventually, right now probably Pg-13  
Pairing: Tony/Pepper  
Disclaimer: ironman is the property of Marvel entertainment, no compyright infringement is intended and I am earning no money from this effort.

**Summary: "Because some things, Tony, have nothing to do with you."**

A/N: Because other than Internal Combustion (which is taking forever) all my other work is tag team, and a girl needs to be occasionally not co-dependant. :-) Also read as, what I do when my writing part gets an actual life.

The first time that she did it, she was fairly certain that she was crazy.

The first time that she did it was in late October, the weather was mild and she was absolutely exhausted. Tony had flown three missions within two weeks and two of them had left him bloody. She had become his front line triage whenever he came home, which basically meant that she was stuck patching him up unless he passed out.

Whenever he did lose consciousness, she did what she really wanted to do. Namely, she called up Tony's personal physician and let him come and do a complete check over and set of precautionary blood draws.

This, of course, made Tony furious - which led to screaming matches where he promised to fire her or she promised to quit, depending on who was closer to their emotional breaking point at the time.

Neither ever happened, but it did lead to lengthy silences. Worse than that she started developing insomnia and bludgeoning stress migraines that left her nearly incapacitated.

That was why she'd finally cashed in her 'inappropriate' birthday present...

"They're...entertainers, Pepper." Her friend Marcia had explained with clear embaressment. "Sort of like the male equivalent of Geisha." She'd passed her over a plain white envelope. "Of course they... if you do decide you want their… non-massage based services… you just tell them that when they come and pay for it in cash since they want to keep it completely off of the books."

Her friend had blushed then. "Don;t worry though- that's only a small part of how they stay in business. Their standard rub downs are awesome, Pepper...they do facials and pedicures, and let's face it, sometimes it's just nice to see an attractive male form and not have to give a damn if your breathe smells clean or your legs are properly shaved." The woman had gestured to the envelope Pepper was staring at blankly, "Just promise to try the massage at least one time, because you barely get out at all anymore, and let's be honest, how often does anyone look after you, instead of vice versa…?"

Pepper had smiled and tucked the card away, even as she'd sworn to herself that she was never ever going to use it.

Marcia was a little odd sometimes, but Pepper had never doubted that her heart was in the right place.

She hadn't counted on the October that followed, though, and she most certainly hadn't counted on Brian. She hadn't counted on waking up one Friday morning with a lingering headache and a back so tangled up in knots that it had taken all of her strength just to get up and out of her bed. She'd broken down because it had hurt to even think about moving any farther than absolutely necessary.

She'd called up Tony and called herself in sick for the rest of the weekend. Then she'd picked up the gift certificate still stuck with a magnet to the front of her refrigerator and decided that perhaps pathetic was only in the eye of the beholder. It was only a backrub after all...

She'd gotten a massage. But she'd gotten something more than that as well. She'd gotten a friend. She'd gotten Brian. She'd gotten a thirty something man at her doorway with a gentle smile and a teasing but dry sense of humor.

He'd taken off his shoes without having to be asked to and then he'd paused and admired her collection of antique books for a full five minutes - long enough for her to get over the awkwardness and start seeing him as more than a person who might occasionally earn part of his living in bed.

He'd showed her his massage therapist's license and asked exactly where she hurt, checking over her spine with a touch that felt remarkably careful.

Then he'd proceeded to do a full neck to toe massage down her back. Halfway through the process he'd whimsically informed her she had too many knots for a woman of her beauty and age, and he'd asked who exactly he needed to kill in retribution.

She'd laughed in spite of herself at the question, and allowed him to help her up off the floor.

"We're having a special," He'd informed her before he left her apartment that first night. "Two massages for the price of one until the end of the year. Think about it okay? Because your knots would be better off if they didn't have grandchildren.'"

It had taken four more sessions before he'd ended up in her bed. Three of which had consisted of him being a perfect gentleman and one during where he'd asked her who it was she was in love with almost off the top of his head. She'd turned her head and gaped at him, but he'd only shrugged his shoulders and dug harder into her lower back.

"There's a look some people get to them. Especially people in caretaking careers. The best word I know to describe it is long suffering futility. Sorry. I don't mean to pry, and I don't really expect an answer to be honest - It's just a little hard to miss that expression after you've seen it enough times on your own face in your bathroom mirror."

There'd been no judgement in the statement, just amused resignation.

Asking him to stay had been easier than she'd expected it would be, she'd simply turned over and run a cautious hand down his chest as she cocked her head. In a quiet voice she had asked him about his non-backrub rates. His smile had been easy and the price he'd replied with had been far less than she'd expected.

What had followed hadn't been perfect, and it hadn't been mind blowing, but it had also cost her no dignity and she'd finally remembered what it meant to feel more than just tired and overstressed within the confines of her own body.

When Tony had flirted with her at work the following Monday, she'd found herself actually smiling back at him genuinely, which had earned her a truly delighted smirk in response.

And she'd realized that maybe Marcia had been right after all. Everyone needs to be pampered now and then.

She and Brian met once twice a month after that. She never lost sight of the fact she was paying him, and he never changed his mannerisms, whether he was in her bed or outside of it. She'd tipped him generously when he made her laugh and he'd treated her like an old friend.

Most of their meetings started with them drinking tea and discussing politics. They always ended, if she wasn't too tired, with her seeing him to the front door of her townhouse.

Brian was a fairly talented writer who was considering going back to college. He had incredibly strong thumbs and he could make her come so hard it felt like her brain had melted, and yet he demanded nothing of her but her pleasure and an equal share of dignity.

The fact that he could also occasionally make her eyes roll back into her head was secondary to what he didn't do. He never called her Pepper and he didn't get shot at on a regular basis.

Instead he'd called her Ginny, because he claimed Virginia made him think of his mother's easter ham, and he admitted that some days his life felt a little bit boring.

Pepper had found that fact made her a little envious.

So seeing Brian became another aspect of her life: another part of just being Pepper. She was the woman who worked eighteen hours a day - who patched up her boss and tried to make him go to meetings, and who succeeded at both tasks about half of the time when she was really lucky. She got a massage to help her back once every two weeks and something more than that on the rare nights that the pressure in her chest surpassed the pain in her body.

It wasn't pretty. It wasn't sweet. It was a comfort for her body though, and she'd given up on any lasting comfort for her mind.

It was harmless. It allowed her to cope.

She'd never dreamed that it would ever be more than her slightly unbelievable secret, though. Perhaps because it was just so far outside what she'd believed herself capable of doing that it had felt like a long running dream. Perhaps it felt surreal because while it had been a lot of things in her mind, 'dirty' had never been on the list.

Brian was just too real and human for it to feel sordid. She'd paid very well to assure that they both maintained their sense of dignity and that she'd maintained the proper perspective.

Or so she thought, until the phone calls started. A voice concealed by a digital changer had stated that he or she knew what 'they' were doing and that he or she would inflict all kinds of harm on both of them if she didn't cut off all contact with 'that ungrateful little cheat'.

She'd called Brian to try and inform him of the situation. His number had been disconnected, though, and when she got home from work a day later her front window had been smashed in.

There'd been a note taped to one of the bricks, reading simply 'you were warned.'

The next morning all four of her tires had also been slashed. She knew at that exact moment that her carefully walled off space of refuge was crumbling.

She supposes that was the beginning of the end.

Still, duty had called, despite a growing sense of worry, so she'd called in late to work, intending to get her window patched and tires changed and then carry on as normally as possible. She figured she could always figure out what to do after she got home from the mansion that night.

She'd left for work immediately after the repairman had boarded things up. An hour later Anthony Stark received a call at the mansion that someone had taken a shot at Pepper Potts while she waited to have her care service in a Michelin Tire parking lot.

Pepper Potts ' dirty little secret' had become potentially deadly.


	2. Chapter 1

The ride from the mansion to the hospital is by normal standards about thirty five minutes. Happy, under Tony's instructions, manages to cut it down to about twenty three. While Happy drives Tony makes calls from the back seat- canceling the two appointments on the afternoon calendar, contacting Stark Security and notifying Rhodey of the call he'd just received.

"She's been shot?!" The Colonel says in disbelief.

"Yes. It happened about an hour ago. The police officer who responded on scene said she was taken to the nearest ER equipped to deal with gun shot victims: Happy and I are on our way over there now."

Tony's a little amazed at how calm his voice sounds, since right now he's clutching the leather upholstery on each side of his thighs so hard that there are probably going to be finger nail gouges left permanently in the seat.

"Do you..." Rhodey's voice drops off, and Tony here's him clear his throat. "Do we know where she was hit, or how badly?"

"At the moment? No clue in hell. The police officer I talked to didn't stay on the phone with me for very long. He just automatically called the person listed as 'call in the case of emergencies' on her cell phone." Tony's voice is shaky. "I could hear the EMTs talking in the background though, and they made a comment about a whole lot of blood, so I'm expecting it's probably pretty bad."

Rhodes cusses. "Which hospital is she in exactly?"

"UCLA's trauma center. Though I'm going to try and get her transferred to Cedar's Sinai or Malibu Coast, if she's stable and she needs to stay overnight." HE sighs, "Look I think we're almost there, I'll call you back when I know more." Tony snaps shut the cell phone and speaks directly to Happy. "Don't bother parking first. Just drop me off at the emergency exit and catch up with me after you find a place to park."

His driver and bodyguard doesn't look particularly thrilled at the suggestion, but he also knows his employer well enough not to try and argue the issue at present. "Okie Dokie, Sir. We'll have you there in a moment." The man's forehead wrinkles. "Sir, I'm sure Potts is fine. I mean this is Pepper Potts, we're talking about: and stubborn as she is sometimes about keeping to the schedule, the bullets might have actually bounced off."

Happy's joke is meant to comfort, but it makes Tony just want to scream, because it's such a hideous lie. Pepper's not invulnerable, for all her professionalism, and despite of the strength she wraps around her like a coat.

She can bleed, and more importantly she can die and leave him in a way that he can never get her back from.

'Something was wrong, this morning when she called me.' His PA had only called in late to work a handful of times in ten years, and always with clear explanation and a sometimes rambling apology. Today, though, her voice had been strained, and she barely stayed on the line long enough to spit out two sentences.

"Something's come up at my house - there's a maintenance emergency. Sorry, but you're going to have to get by without me harassing you to for a few more hours until the repairman I hired gets here."

She'd been distracted and on edge- he can hear it looking back. At the time, though, he'd merely been equal parts amused and distracted by his latest project. He'd told her he could manage breakfast and a few hours down in his shop without supervision.

Then he'd cleared his throat to tease her about not getting distracted sexy repair men only to be let with nothing but the unmistakable sound of a dial tone.

'She hung up on me.' It had been a little like stepping into the twilight zone. She'd never hung up on him so abruptly, not once in the last eleven years. 'That should have been your hint, Stark, to get you attention off your work and onto the approaching horizon.'

The limo finally pulls in the ER's main turn around. "There you go, Sir. Just keep a tight grip on your wallet while you're inside. This isn't the most savory neighborhood, if you know what I mean."

Tony nods and climbs out of the backseat. "I'll meet you in the ER in just a couple of minutes."

It takes less than a minute to get into the ER. He's already far less than impressed with the visible security. The waiting room is pretty much exactly what he expects it to be: his nose curls up at the sickening smell of sweat and vomit and desperation. Still, he presents himself to the security guard just behind the information desk. "Tony Stark. I got a call saying an Ms Virginia Potts was here, and I'm her emergency contact." He presents his ID to the man in uniform - a Latino in his mid forties.

The guard takes Tony's ID and studies it for a few sluggish moments that make Tony want to scream. Then he looks down at his clipboard. "She arrived about forty minutes ago." He picks up the phone. "I'll call someone to come and walk you back."

The wait takes a minute or so that feels more like and eternity. "How is she?" He demands to know the moment that the nurse approaches, a clipboard still in her hand.

The muscular African American woman snorts at that question, leading him through a set of double hung doors. "She's stubborn, which is both to her benefit and detriment at the moment, I'm afraid."

As they approach trauma room three, he hears a wonderfully familiar voice. Not only is Pepper awake, but she's apparently annoyed and not hesitating to make clear her opinion.

"Doctor you have already said yourself that I'm fine. There are no broken bones or even a minimal concussion. Now I want to go home - I'm sure you'll understand that I have responsibilities waiting for me that I need to follow up on."

'Somehow I doubt your boss is going to complain if you're late, Potts, as he was half expecting to find you in surgery.'

Pepper sounds so aggrieved - like he's been trying to abruptly change up his schedule, or duck out of a particularly important meeting. It's just so positively normal that he forces himself not to giggle in relief as the nurse pushes back the curtain.

"You have a visitor." She informs Pepper calmly, moving to her patient's bedside and handing her small carton of milk he hadn't noticed she was carrying.

Pepper is alive. Pepper is grumpy. She's sitting upright with her legs hanging off the edge of the triage bed with a blood stained bandage tapped to her upper left thigh.

Pepper's eyes light up when she sees him. "Thank God! Someone reasonable. Mr. Stark will you please tell them that they can't keep me here any longer? Honestly, it's only a scratch and a couple bruises: I have far too much work to get done today to get stuck here any longer."

Someone took several shots at her in a parking lot and she's griping about not being allowed to go back to work. He doesn't like to think what that indicates about the level of danger she's grown accustomed to living with on a regular basis.

The doctor, who is standing beside her on the other side of the cart, groans very deeply. "Ms Potts, you have a three quarter inch deep bullet graze on your leg thigh that I'm quite sure not only hurts like hell, but continues to seep and could possibly rip open again if you try and put any weight on it. Now I understand your unease, given the situation, but even if it weren't normal protocol to keep you here until the police come and take your statement, I still wouldn't consent to release you until your pain medication arrives and you're had crutch use instruction. After that, I will consider your request that I call you a taxi."

"She not taking a taxi and she's not going home. As of this minute, your employer has just officially given you the next forty-eight hours off in order to recuperate." His voice is deliberately casual, but he can't hide the relief in his eyes. He steps closer to the bedside and takes in the barely knee length gown. "By the way, Pepper, nice jammies."

"Oh shut up." Pepper murmurs, rolling her eyes. She waits for the nurse and doctor to leave, and then she looks at him in confusion. "How in hell did you even know that I'm here?" She hadn't had a opportunity yet to call him.

"The police called the SOS number listed on your Blackberry. I figured you'd need a ride once you were discharged, so Happy and I brought the limo."

Pepper wrinkles her nose. "Happy's here?"

"And Rhodey's on call as back up. Well assuming that he's not stuck in the road construction out by his place." Tony sits down in the chair by the sink. "So...do you want to tell me what exactly happened?"

Pepper pales. "It's...it was likely just a drive by gone bad, Tony. Random shooting...you know, that kind of thing."

"But why in hell were you even at a car shop? Did something suddenly go wrong with the Audi?"

He doesn't mean it as an accusation. It has been niggling at the back of his mind ever since the police called though. Because there is just no reason he can think of why she should have been at any substandard auto repair facility. He and Happpy have been taking care of her car along with the rest of the fleet for years.

Pepper pales even further, and he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "I...uhm...needed tires. A few went flat. I didn't have enough spares." She admits awkwardly. The answer spills out of her a little too fast, though, and she drops all eye contact with him.

"A few? How many?" He's got an odd feeling that he isn't going to like what's coming.

He watches Pepper draw a deep breath and then steel herself to say something. She looks at the curtain the nurse just left through, and then she bites the bullet. "All four of them actually. My tires were slashed some time during the night."

He blinks. "Excuse me?"

"I came out of the house at five am and all four of my tires were flat, Tony." Pepper's looking at him now, with what can only be described as a guilty expression. "There were some pretty obvious knife slits in the rubber."

His brow wrinkles. "You were lying about the house maintenance issue when you called me, then?" This isn't computing. Somewhere in the back of his mind though, a slow trickle of anger is building.

Pepper sighs, looking down at her bandaged leg and fiddling with her robe just a little bit awkwardly. "No. That's true as well. My front picture window is broken. Somebody threw several bricks through my front window sometime yesterday. I...I think that I might have some trouble brewing, Tony."

"Someone threw a brick through you window, into a house you stayed in last night? Without calling me or at least finding a hotel after such an obvious breach in security?!"

His voice is rising to a dangerous rumble.

Pepper sighs. "No. No I didn't. Because this...this isn't a work related problem, Tony."


	3. Chapter 2

This...This isn't work related, Tony."

She knows even before the words leave her mouth that she's made a mistake of epic proportions. In fact, this quite possibly the dumbest thing she's ever said. It's insulting, it's untrue. It's far less than she knows she owes him under the circumstances.

It's also been said - there's no way to take it back. "I...Tony I..." She stutters to a stop, unsure what she can say.

"I call you for non-work related things, Pepper." Anthony Stark's voice is calm, but there's also a new and unmistakable tension in his posture.

She opens her mouth and closes it. 'It's not the same.' "Tony, technically you _are_ my work. Every call I get from you could theoretically be called work related." This is not helping, this is only digging her in deeper. "Though thank you for coming - a ride home when I'm discharged would be appreciated, and there's still the matter of retrieving my car from the shop. "

She draws in a shallow, slightly unsteady breath, "Considering the circumstances, I'm guessing that you can understand why I'm going to need to ask for a few days of leave to sort this all out."

He nods. "Yes - we need to take care of both the Audi and your security breach. The police can talk to you initially here, Pepper, and do any follow up at the mansion, where you can stay until we're sure it's safe for you to return home. Your car is going to be retrieved by Happy - he and I will give it a through look over to make sure that nothing has been tampered with and that no wires or hoses have been cut."

She blinks at that suggestion, because that was a possibility she hadn't even _considered_. "Tony, I really think that this person is just posturing. I don't think that they're skilled or crazy enough to..."

"What? Start taking potshots at you in a public parking lot?" He shoots back.

She's been almost afraid to look at him directly, but his tone brings her head up. She flinches at the expression on his face. Tony Stark is quickly nearing quietly _furious_.

Or at least he seems to be for a moment or so before a mask of calm descends again over his features. He pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales deliberately. Then he rises out of his chair, and approaches the bed.

His nostrils flare as his eyes sweep her form, starting at her eyes and following a trail all the way to her toes before rising up to her face again.

Then he sighs, "Pepper forgive me, but 'work related' or not, I'm going to _make_ this my business." Then he's tugging her into his arms without ever asking her permission.

He hugs her so hard that her ribs threaten to crack. She gasps a little at the frantic race oh his heart, before hugging him carefully back.

And then he lets her go and steps back out of her personal space.

Tony draws a deep breath "Start at the beginning, Pepper. I want you to tell me exactly when all this started...beginning with the very first hint you had that something was going on."

She wants to answer but she can't seem to speak at all. Instead she's caught in the shock of the unexpected hug and the fact that even now, she can smell his cologne. "I...Brian. Brian Weber. I think the person doing this has a grudge against the relationship between me and him."

Tony's forehead knots. "And who is this Weber exactly? I don't think I've ever heard you mention the name before."

'My gigolo.' She blushes furiously. "Uhm, he's a massage therapist who works on my back about two times a month. We kind of became friends too - he's a book lover and a writer."

Her face feels like it's on fire. She's so embarrassed she can barely stand to look at him.

Tony though only chuckles, and then he reaches over and tilts her chin so she's not staring at her shoes. "God we have to get you a life, Pepper, if you're blushing admitting to something that, from my perspective, isn't even all that kinky."

For some reason that does the trick. Her chin goes up. There's no judgment in his eyes, and she's glad, because there damn well shouldn't be. What she does with her rare free weekend off isn't anyone's business.

"Yeah well apparently one of Brian's other clients is a little obessed. He or she is under the false impression that there's something more then simple friendship between us."

Tony considers. "How could another client he sees even find out who you are? That kind of thing is supposed to be protected - patient confidentiality. Unless the person in question somehow either saw you two together or got ahold of this Brian's client list.

Pepper blinks because Tony has a point. "I...I'm not really sure. I just know that I started getting calls...the first I thought was a prank or a wrong number, but the second was significantly more nasty..."

Tony pats her shoulder, "I'm not expecting you to have this solved, Pep." He sighs and rubs his forehead. "How long ago did the first call come in, exactly?"

This is another thing he's not going to like. "About two weeks ago. The first was on a Sunday, the second the following week on the same day, but then they started getting more frequent - to every other day, I guess. The last one was yesterday."

She shrugs before continuing, "I tried calling Brian but his phone has been disconnected...I'm guessing he just changed the number if he was getting the same kind of constant harassment."

"Probably." Tony drops his hand from his forehead. "Did the calls come to your Blackberry or only your home phone?"

"Home phone only..." She pauses as she says the words. Her home phone number was the only one she'd ever given Brian. It had felt...wrong, giving him the number for work. "Though my home phone is preset to ring through to my cell phone if I get a call while I'm not at home."

"Good, Because call forwarding is traceable by a computer, when we get back to the mansion, we can see about finding out where the calls originated from.

"Tony I really appreciate…well you're being great about this. But the hosue has already been boarded up - it should be reasonably safe and I just want to go _home. _"

Tony frowns and shakes his head, "Pepper while I understand the the instinct, you're not going to help anyone by making yourself more of a target by staying somewhere with already crippled home security."

She groans. "I'll take preventive measures. Get a taser and add more locks to all the windows. Hell if you're going to fuss I could probably even hire myself a body guard or something…."

"Yes, because that makes so much more sense then temporarily staying in a house with an AI security system and the gate that you need an access code to even get through."

She groans in aggravation, "Tony do you have any idea how much posturing I deal with in this job? You or I each get at least six death threats every week. None of them have made me go into hiding, and I see no reason to alter that pattern."

Tony tilts his head. "Look, how about we make a compromise of sorts: stay at least two nights at the mansion and in exchange I'll send over a bunch of our own security contractors over to your place to analyze and upgrade your current security system…"

She opens her mouth to protest. "Tony it's not really necessary…"

"Like hell. I'm the one who told the world you're working for a god-damn super hero. Even if this isn't related to that, the greater threat's been there ever since the press conference. Let me do this and ease both of our minds…"

"You're not going to bend on this are you?" She finally asks.

His jaw twitches a little "Let me put it this way, Pepper if you insist on going back to your house before I think it's safe to do so, then you're going to have Ironman sleeping on your couch." He informs her frankly.

'He would too - in a heartbeat.' "For the record this in blackmail."

He nods, "Absolutely. You can think of a way to make me pay for it later."

"I probably will, though it will take some serious thinking. Something to make the punishment fit the crime." She extends a hand in a formal handshake. "Mr. Stark I would be pleased to be your roommate until Stark Securities has finished upgrading my alarm system, but then not a day longer."

Tony shakes his head, refusing to take her hand an seal the deal. "No, you go back whe you have a new alarm system, your locks are all checked and your in house communication system includes a panic button…"

She rolls her eyes. "Oh great...do I also get a panic room and nuclear fall out shelter too? Because my basement's nearly empty, and Tucker would love the life supply of tuna…"

"Tucker?" Tony raises an eyebrow.

"The current man in my life."

Tucker, better known as Tuck, is in fact a black and white tuxedo cat who lays around in the sun all day and loves sleeping in her bathroom sink. Not that she intends to tell Tony that.

What he doesn't know can be easily used to unsettle him for once.

"What breed of cat?" Tony asks after a moment. He snickers at the slightly startled look she gives him in return. "Come on Potts. Tuna? Kind of a give away."

"Yeah well I do have a pet and he's going to need to be fed every day, not to mention that he's stil probably a little freaked out by the broken front window."

"Does he chew wires?" Tony asks after a moment.

Pepper shakes her head. "He tried it once as a kitten and definitely learned his lesson. He'll miss y being home at night, but I suppose I can stop by before sunset every day or so and spend a hour or so with him."

Tony seems to debate a moment. "Bring him with. I'm not allergic to cats. There's plenty of room for him to run amuck at the mansion."

Pepper stares at him in shock. "You're inviting both me _and_ my cat to come and stay with you?"

"Yeah. At your cat's own risk, mind you - since the only pets I ever had as a boy were two goldfish and a particularly obnoxious parrot."

Pepper snorts. "And how did that go?"

"I built the fish an obstacle course to swim which they loved. Mom made me get rid of the parrot. Apparently she didn't find it as funny as I did when it insisted on hollering out 'thar she blows' every time she walked by…"

His bird had said _what_?! "I seriously hope that she spanked you."

He tries to look wounded. "Who said that Junner learned that sentance from me?"

She puts her hands on her hips and regards him with one raised eyebrow.

He shifts. "Fine if you really want to know then yes, I did get caught out for it, and Dad made sure I couldn't sit comfortably afterwars for a week. There were no more pets after that - I got too engrossed with robotics to really be interested in the additional responsibility."

"If my cat ends up psychotic because you fuck with him, Tony, I'm going to make you pay for him to see a pet therapist for the rest of his life."

Tony leers, "Just keep him out of the master bedroom Potts, because that's not my preferred kind of pussy…"

Any retort she might have made is stopped when the detective they've been waiting for arrives.


	4. Chapter 3

Three and a half hours later, the limo pulls up in front of Pepper's townhouse, carrying an exhausted Pepper, and a brooding Tony. Pepper, who is now wearing a pair of hospital supplied scrubs, is leaning with her head back against the seat and her hands folded neatly in front of her. She may or may not be asleep

She's pale in contrast to the dark coloring of the limo's interior leather, and for a moment Tony's tempted just to tell Happy to take them home –that they can come back and do this later, but then he thinks of Pepper's eagerness when she'd finally been discharged, and the fact that half an hour ago they'd called and told the police they were on the way to the Pepper's townhouse, and could let the forensics people in. He accepts the inevitable before leaning forward in his seat.

"Pepper. Ms. Potts. Wakey, wakey." His assistant stirs a little, and purses her lips in what might be pain or displeasure. He reaches out and shakes her shoulder gently, which gets her to crack open one of her eyes.

"Tired." She informs him a little grumpily. Then she shifts and groans. It looks like the pain medication they gave her at the hospital is beginning to wear off. She's got a prescription for more pills in her pocket if she needs them, but Pepper had still insisted on coming here first, instead of going to the pharmacy. He's had stitches himself, and nowhere near the twelve she's currently got in her right thigh.

He's guessing that if she's not regretting it already, she'll soon be wishing she'd made a different decision.

"I'm sorry, Pepper, I hate to interrupt your napping, but you were the one who wanted to stop at your house, and we're finally here. It's time to head inside."

That gets Pepper's other eye open. She sits upright a little and peers out the window. "Oh good." She murmurs almost to herself. "I can check the repairs and Tuck will be anxious to see me. Not to mention I can change."

He resists the urge to tell her the simple light blue cotton scrubs suit her just fine.

Instead, Tony snorts as he shifts back so that she can scoot forward. "Are cats ever anxious to see anyone? I didn't think that was their kind of thing." Tony taps on the glass in front of them. "Hey happy – run around to the trunk please around the back to get Pepper her crutches and bringing them around to the door."

It takes about a minute for his driver to comply, and Pepper uses that time to rub her eyes a couple times and then shift her weight forward carefully. When Happy opens the limo's door Tony gets out first and slides an arm around each forearm to help her shift to her feet while only putting her weigh on her good leg.

It's a distinctly awkward moment with more than their usual proximity, and Pepper blushes a little before she groans, stabilizes her balance and reaches out one arm at a time to take the crutches from Happy. "You know, I still don't see why those things are even necessary." She grumbles as she moves up the sidewalk, "I didn't break anything. So why won't they let me walk?"

"Because skin with stitches doesn't stretch as well as normal skin. And your wound's not exactly in a place of low strain." Tony explains sympathetically. "And if you walk on it too much you're likely to experience the unpleasant reality of tearing out your own stitches."

"At least it's only for a few days, until things heal some." Pepper murmurs. "And it's not someplace embarrassing where many people are going to see a scar."

"Pepper, in my experience gun shot wounds are never 'embarrassing.' On the contrary, you are now in an exclusive club of people who have serious bragging rights."

He smirks a little as he says it, half because this kind of flirting is natural between them, and half to set her at ease. He knows that despite her apparent veneer of calm, Pepper Potts is fairly shook up at the moment, and in desperate need of normalcy.

He doubts at this point that the shock of what happened earlier has really set in yet, which is a large part of why he is insisting she stay in company tonight.

'Not that she likes the idea. She's fighting tooth and nail.' Pepper at this point seems to want nothing more than to crawl into a little burrow somewhere and hide awhile. He understands the feeling, even if he doesn't happen to agree with it. 'She's only acting rational' he reminds himself firmly, no matter how calm she looks.

That means he can tease her as regular and if necessary bully her a little, but yelling or trying to overwhelm her is going to accomplish a large amount of nothing….

Which is why, in the end, he'd forced himself to back down at the hospital when her crap about 'work related' shit had brought him perilously close to losing his temper.

'Not work related, my ass.' When has that ever stopped either of us before?'

He'd been ready when she first said it, to open his mouth and start up some serious yelling. He'd had at least a ten minute rant within the space of two heartbeats, largely fueled by his own panic. There'd been no middle ground between the taxi and the hospital – just numbing panic followed by burning relief.

Her face, though - her face had stopped him cold before he could attempt to scream or attack her. She'd just looked so embarrassed and numb. She hadn't even been able to remain eye contact.

'She's embarrassed.' He'd realized at that moment. 'Embarrassed and in shock and hurt.'

The last thing she'd needed was a lecture: the foolishness of her choices had already been violently made clear to her. He'd looked at her in that hospital room and he had realized that he could vent his rage on her, but she'd probably respond by either completely disassociating or simply falling apart.

And that had been a shock to him, because in his experience, Pepper doesn't easily bend to anything. It's part of the reason he hired her, and more than half of the reason he's in love with her if he's honest with himself.

But this is different than anything else. This is more personal than anything she'd ever faced at work, or even during their conflict with Stane. 'It's always been professional, and there's always been a clear prize at stake.'

He knows for a fact that she's spent most of her professional life in waters most would assume are way over her head, and the fact that she's never seemed to share this opinion herself is both an amusement and a relief, even if it occasionally makes him question whether she's any saner than he is.

Pepper Potts doesn't flinch at almost anything. Hell in the last five months she's even expanded her duties to super-heroes' scheduler and part time EMT.

She's dealt with blood, guts, broken bones, the local police and the pentagon all within the space of one week.

And though they've occasionally had some stress relieving arguments, he's never once believed she was anything but thriving.

Until today at least: there's something big he's missing here. Something he's going to have to dig for carefully if he means to actually find it.

Something that may be more serious that any threat they've face up to this point.

'First rule of observation: allow your victim to thoroughly relax first.' This is why they're at her house first, instead of the pharmacy. It was also why he'd exited her hospital room at her bequest for several minutes when the detective asked to speak with her, though he hadn't particularly wanted to leave.

Of course she'd only asked for a little bit of space, which was why he hadn't gone any farther than just beyond the curtain though - far enough to give her the illusion of privacy, but still close enough to be close if she called and still be able to listen in.

It wasn't exactly ethical, he admits to himself, but at this point he really doesn't give a damn. Just because he isn't yelling at Pepper doesn't mean he currently trusts her any farther than she can throw him when he's still in the suit.

So he'd stood outside the curtain, and been distinctly unimpressed. There'd been no point in her asking him to leave at all. Pepper had simply told the detective nearly verbatim what she'd told him only minutes before. It was literally identical to the point of sounding coached: the same names and dates and times had been provided, as well as Brian Weber's phone number, when she was asked.

The detective for the most part had stayed pretty quiet, though the man had commented at least once on her remarkable memory.

Pepper's reply had been a simple hoarse chuckle and an admission that if the stress weren't bad enough to burn certain things into her mind, her memory had become nearly photographic after years in her line of business when it cames to dates and places.

The detective had seemed to find that a little amusing. "That I understand. Certain forms down at the station I could fill out blindfolded. As for not believing that this was anything but posturing until this morning – well believe it or not, Ms Potts, this isn't even the strangest case I've ever had to work. Back in 89 my partner and I tracked a stalker who tried to shoot at a housewife who cut in front of his obsession's cart at the grocery store and stole the last zucchini. As a rule Stalkers who escalate to this level are mentally ill and their actions probably have very, very little to do with you."

There had been silence a moment, before Pepper spoke a little hesitantly. "I...my employer made a very good point earlier: this person shouldn't have even been able to find me – well unless they had access to client lists of medical records, I mean"

"In a doctor's office or in a hospital, yes absolutely. Things get a little bit hazier when you're dealing with a privately contracted provider though; they tend to keep ledgers on home computers that aren't entirely secure. Hackers, especially these days, take huge advantage of those oversights."

Tony had frowned at that, though he admitted it was most likely true. That merited a check of Pepper's computer at home – though he'd be surprised if anyone had gotten in. Pepper's laptop security was gigantic, and to his knowledge, if she had a desktop at her townhouse, it was used strictly for non-business.

The Detective hadn't stopped speaking though, and what he'd said next had concerned Tony even further. "Of course there's another possibility here: your friend and this person may both prefer the low tech approach. If this person is skilled enough he or she might have been tracking your friend's movements long enough without him noticing, he or she may have been led literally to your front doorstep. Have you notice any repeating vehicles or faces?"

"No." Pepper had said almost immediately. "And that I am trained to watch out for, because of the high security issues that are attached to my job."

At that point the nurse had re-entered the hospital room, and Tony had used the opportunity to return himself on her heels. Pepper had been calm but even paler than before he'd noted as he offered the police officer a firm handshake.

"Office LaMotte, I believe we talked over the phone?"

The shook firmly. "Ah yes, Mr. Stark, it's an honor to meet you."

Tony had smiled at the man gamely. "So tell me honestly...how concerned about this are the police?"

"Ms Potts aggressor is firing bullets instead of insults. In my line of business, that's a very bad sign. This person is obviously growing more and more aggressive, probably because of frustration. Still," Detective Lamotte had shrugged. "In a sick sense, this is the best possible time for the police to finally get involved.

"Excuse me?" Pepper had blinked at that, obvious confused by that statement.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am...it's just up until now it has been posturing, now though there's several overt and physically traceable acts of aggression. Under those circumstances, there's no way that anyone will not take this incredibly seriously."

"So they needed blood to get really interested... Wonderful," Pepper had looked down at her leg a little sardonically.

"No ma'am, they needed a significant body of physical evidence, which has now been provided." Lamotte had paused, "Though to be honest ma'am, this would have been significantly easier from a forensics standpoint if you had called us immediately last night or even this morning. When you moved the car and the brick you essentially messed with a crime scene."

"I…I'm sorry." Pepper had looked down. "I guess I just got overwhelmed. Which is silly given how much I should know about maintaining my own security."

Lamotte had sighed. "I'll admit you've made our lives more difficult, Ms, Potts, but please don't think you're alone in this kind of response. Personal stalkers aren't like job related threats. They're much more personal, and can be increasingly disturbing." The officer had stood up then and capped his pen, "Just do yourself and us a favor, if you find any more messages or physical items that might be tied to this person, don't try and clean it up yourself, just call 911 and wait outside."

"Do you need to see inside of my house?" Pepper had asked a little reluctantly.

"Unlikely since you've seen no sign of entry, though we will check the locks and the perimeter outside, just to make sure there's been nothing left behind. Though if you still have it, I would like to send someone to your house to retrieve the brick that was tossed through your window." The detective rolls his eyes, "Stalkers think they're smart...go to great lengths to preserve their anonymity, but then do something stupid like lick the seal of their envelope or leave their fingerprints on a blunt object when they finally turn to violence."

Pepper had shrugged at that. "We're going to my place as soon as they discharge me. If I call the precinct then can you send someone over to pick it up while I collect some personal things?"

Lamotte had nodded. "It can be arranged. "Is your house going to be occupied at present? Because if so we may set some rotating squads or an undercover officer on the block somewhere to watch out for anything strange."

Pepper had just shook her head, "I hadn't intended to sleep there tonight, or the next several for that matter. Mr. Stark has convinced me it may be wise to find... other lodging for a few days, until my window is repaired and I've arranged for a more aggressive home security system."

Tony had interjected, "And when she does go back, she'll have Stark Security doing patrols as well. Just to make sure this isn't an intricate deception that is actually tied back to her work somehow.

Pepper had blinked at that, and her expression had told Tony she though he was full of bullshit. She hadn't told the officer where exactly she'd be staying when she left though, only provided a cell phone number, and now as he follows her into her house, Tony's fairly certain he understands why. First, she's worried about the rumors that might start if there a sources in the police department with links to the media or just even paparazzi. Second she's feeling under the microscope enough already.

Being stalked by someone is something he's unfortunately quite familiar with himself, and he understands full well how boxed in it can leave you feeling.

For that reason, Tony accepts, he's going to have to do everything in his power to remain low key until this is over. Because if he goes with his more normal route she's likely to retreat so far into herself that he'll never get her to come back out.

And so he shoves down his own frustration and unease and tries to do what mostly comes naturally - he teases the shit out of her. In this case it's by whistling under his breath as she gains her feet and starts crutching down the sidewalk to her front door. "Wow. This place is very...gingerbread... Potts. So do you have Hansel and Gretel locked away in one of your closets somewhere?"

Pepper snorts. "It belonged to my sister before me, for your information. And while she was smart and fairly modern she was also nearly 16 years older, when it was posh to be chintzy. I trimmed the knick-knacks way, way back, so I'll thank you to mind your tone."

"Sister?" Tony asks the question a little bit carefully as Pepper stops in front of the door, resting awkwardly on her crutches while she starts to dig for her keys. She doesn't talk about her past much, though he's never really wondered until recently why.

"Yes. Sister. Caroline. Though to me, Mom and Dad, it was simply 'Carrie.' She looked after me from age fourteen until I left for college. Mom and Dad went down on a single prop plane while they were working in the Andes."

'The Andes?' "The Andes?" Tony raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, they worked with the peace corp. Dad was a civil engineer and Mom was a secondary level school teacher. The first time I set foot on the US mainland I was almost five years old."

Before Tony can ask more, Pepper finally locates the jingly assortment of metal. "Look Tony, I'm going to unlock this, but when we get inside we have ten seconds to punch in an access code across from the door, and I doubt I'm going to be able to move that fast. The code is 8756 pound. I'm going to need you to enter it for me."

"Not a problem. He assures her and a moment later Pepper turns the key and pushes the door open. Wincing at the shrill alarm, Tony steps past her and into the house, locating the code box and entering the number she'd provided with him quickly. Then he stepped slightly to his right and took in the main entrance curiously, eyes scanning the walls as he waited for her to crutch inside, sit down on the stair, and begin to remove her shoes.

"You're just going to have to put them on again when we leave." Tony reminds her softly as she pulls off her heels.

"Yeah, well forgive me, but if 'm going to be on crutches the next few days, I'm definitely changing into flat tops."

It's a fair enough point, he has to concede, so Tony settles for watching her pull off both of her four inch heels. She stacks them in a corner before wearily beginning a massage deep into the arch of the foot attached to her one fully functional leg.

"So...you mentioned doting cats. I see a distinct lack of any feline."

Pepper rolls her eyes. "Yes while there's a stranger in his house." Then she raises her voice. "Tucker, come say a proper hello."

Several seconds pass, and then there's a plaintive meow. A furry head pokes around the corner from the living room, and Tony finds himself under wary inspection.

"Pepper that is not a cat, at best that is a kitten."

And indeed it is, though definitely a halfway grown one. It's perhaps eight or nine inches long, with white fur at the tips of its upright black ears and a big splotch of black right in the center of its pink nose, and one white ring around its left eye that makes it look like a demented pirate. "It's also kind of ridiculous looking."

Pepper rolls her eyes. "Shut up, or you'll piss him off. He's harmless, Tucker. Now come say a proper hello."

The cat blinks at him a couple times, still looking accusingly at Tony, before shooting forward to flop down atop Pepper's feet.

A moment later a deep base hum fills the room. "Is that a chainsaw or an ore crusher?" Tony asks with a little bit of amusement as the cat gazes up at its mistress adoringly.

Pepper shoots him another dirty look. "It's called purring Stark. I'm surprised you've never heard of the concept."

Tucker is batting his head repeatedly again Pepper's hip. She smiles a little and reaches down to scratch behind the kitten's ears. "Okay you've said hello to me, now show good manners to our company and do the same." She pauses. "Say hello." She says the words distinctly.

"Potts I very much doubt that your furball understands a word that you're saying..." Any further smart remarks Tony's preparing to loose die off as Tuck neatly pivots and comes to sit directly in front of him.

The cat curls its tail around its lower body, cocks its head to one side, and then meows once before extending a paw...

"Pepper your cat is a dog." Tony says, a little nonplussed.

Pepper snorts. Tucker also looks slightly insulted. His nose goes up in the air, though he doesn't otherwise protest. His paw remains extended

"Tony, cats are every bit as trainable as dogs if you start them young, though they tend to have a lot more attitude." She gestures at her pet. "I started working with him the same week I found him. That was six and a half months ago and now he walks on a leash, uses a toilet instead of a litter box and responds without issue to about twenty different prompts."

Six and a half months? That would put the acquisition while he was still in Afghanistan. "I'm not shaking a cat's paw, Pepper."

"Why? Because he has more manners than you do? Now say hello so he can get the treat he's more than earned at this point."

'I can't believe I'm being unfavorably compared to a cat.' Tony rolls his eyes, but bends and lightly encloses the paw with his right pointer finger and thumb. "My pleasure." He says sarcastically.

He is rewarded by the cat yawning right in his face.

"You've got a real charmer here." He tells Pepper dryly. She snickers and Tucker finally stands again and rubs insistently against his owner's feet.

"There's a jar of cat treats on my kitchen counter." Pepper informs him as she praises her pet, and then she rises, reclaims her crutches and makes her way down the hall.

"He can have up to three treats." She calls back over her shoulder, I'm going to change. Behave yourselves while I'm gone."

Tony waits until she's gone before heading into the kitchen. "Come on fuzz face. But for the record, I still think you're a pussy."


	5. Chapter 4

While Pepper cleans up and changes, Tony unabashedly noses around her living room scanning bookshelves, noting items on her fireplace and perusing the few pictures she has hanging on the wall. Most of them are aged and a little bit grey. There are various artifacts on the shelves; including a small collection of animal carvings that look like something that you'd find in a child's toy box.

"They're typical South American tribal fetishes. Typically used as religious totems." Pepper explains when she emerges from her bathroom. "Though technically my Mom bought them for me from a vendor when we were leaving Peru. I basically used them as toys until I outgrew them."

She looks like she expects him to tease her for the admission, but Tony only smiles and sets down a tiny frog. "Hey I want to play with them now, and I'm nearly forty. So you lived in Peru, huh? Is that the country where your parents did their work with the peace corps?"

"We lived with the Chopec until I was school aged yes, and then come and stayed in California for a year when I was about five years old. After that the location varied from year to year..." Pepper eases herself down in a chair and hold out a hand for the tiny wooden monkey that Tony has lifted off the shelf.

She fingers it with what can only be described as a wistful nostalgia.

"You weren't born in the states, correct?" He questions her softly. Not because he's nosy exactly, but because this is such a rare opportunity. Pepper as a whole tends to be a very private person. She just doesn't usually offer up much information without a great deal of prodding

It seems to be different here at her house though, Pepper smiles fondly. She hands him back the carving and replies, "I was born in the middle of the rainforest. It was the city that felt like a jungle to me at first."

"Was it hard for you, making the transition back?"

Pepper snorts, "Well I didn't wear shoes regularly in Peru, and I didn't take much to having to wear them while we were stateside. My mom came up with the perfect solution, though: she took me to the shoe shop and told me I could pick any pair of sandals and tennis shoes that I wanted."

"That actually helped?" Tony sounds a little bemused.

"It did when she told me that in America women wore color shoes to show the strength of their species, much like the Chopec medicine man wore feathers. She also convinced me that my boots were meant to ward off evil spirits that wanted to make my feet cold"  
Tony's upper lip twitches a little, because he can see a little Pepper in his minds eyes. Standing in a shoe store and contemplating long rows of flower-topped sandals. "And thus began a shoe fetish that has since grown to span all the ages?"

"Hey that first pair was sublime. I didn't ever love a pair of shoes more until I got my first pair of Italian sling backs. Pepper's smiling, genuinely, and Tony's relieved to see the lines of tension finally easing from around her mouth.

"How are you feeling? Were you able to clean up okay? I've had stitches as well myself." He speaks with clear sympathy.

"I'm definitely sore." She admits after a moment. "And annoyed to be leaving, though it is probably for the best for now." Her hands tighten into fists. "Like it or not though, it's not safe to stay here until the security situation's improved."

"It's only for a few days." Tony tries to sound consoling. Pepper, though, is chewing her bottom lip, as she considers her current situation.

"Your cat is already psychotic." He informs her rather abruptly, as a way he hopes, to ward off some of the tension. He hates seeing her this on edge, but short of offering her a glass of brandy he know that she won't accept, he's unsure of how to free her from this fear that's hovering over her ever since he met her at the hospital this morning.

'She's so tense she even looks a couple of inches shorter.' He wonders for a moment if he should offer to lend her the massage therapist that occasionally comes to work on him.

Somehow that seems really...insensitive...right now, given her specific situation.

"Tuck is not psychotic, just energetic."

Tucker, who's lying on a blanket laid out for him on an upper bookshelf on the far wall, looks up at the sound of his name, obviously aware he's now a part of their conversation. He sits up when he discovers his mistress has reappeared from the bathroom, and starts purring loudly.

"You should have named him 'Stutter' Tony laughs at the loud vibrations. "He certainly sounds loud enough to be an engine."

Pepper smiles a little at that, then looks at the cat. "Do you want your red ball to play with for awhile, Tuck?"

The speed at which the cat appears her feet after that offer has Tony blinking. "Red ball?" He asks in confusion as the cat starts weaving ecstatic circles around Pepper's feet.

"Catnip." She says in explanation, and then she opens a lower cupboard door, retrieving a small cloth ball with a zipper in it. Tucker purrs impossibly louder at the sight of what she is holding. She unzips the ball, checks the amount of catnip inside and zips it back up, "There you go, fuzz face, knock yourself out." Then she drops the ball and watches her pet pounce on it in literal ecstasy.

"Okay..." Tony says after several very amused seconds, during with Tucker chases the ball around shaking it almost ecstatically in between staggered bouts of rolling around on his back. "I get yelled at for drinking more than three shots of brandy a night, yet meanwhile you're feeding your cat the feline equivalent of crack."

"It's a rare treat." Pepper admits. "Catnip isn't healthy for him in high doses. He hasn't been out on his leash for the last few days though, and with this leg he's not going to get the chance for at least another week. Think of it as a kind of apology."

"He actually walks on a leash?" Tony has given up on disbelieving her. "That I admit I really want to see."

Pepper grins. "Hey Tuck, do you want to go outside?"

The kitten drops the ball like its yesterdays news, tears out of the living room and down the hall into the kitchen like a bat out of hell.

"Apparently he's not thrilled with that suggestion." Tony says just a little bit dryly.

"Just wait." Pepper crosses her arms. "He'll be back."

A moment later Tuck returns, a large length of thin woven rope trailing along behind him.

"'Go outside,' is one of the other phrases he's picked up. You can walk him down to the corner and back, just let me put his harness on him."

Sure enough a small plus nylon apparatus has been dropped at Pepper's feet.

"You want me to walk your cat?" Tony sounds skeptical.

"You said you wanted to see it." Pepper sounds heartily amused.

"I don't need to scoop his crap do I?" Tony asks a little fearfully.

Pepper snorts. "He's a cat, Tony, he uses a litter box. The leash is just to make sure he doesn't get scared and suddenly dart in the middle of the street." She hands him the leash's end once the harness is on. "As I said, to the end of the block and back."

The cat looks at Tony. Tony looks back at him. Then the cat looks at Pepper in what is sheer insulted disbelief.

"Yeah well Buddy I'm not thrilled about it either. Do you want to go outside of not?" Tony asks Tucker in resignation.

That cat seems to consider a moment than walks over and brushes against Pepper's shins, before turning and heading over to the entryway with a single mew of what sounds like resignation.

"Be careful," Pepper cautions Tony as he follows. "He's still pretty freaked on by dogs."

Ten and a half minutes later cat and billionaire return. The cat in question in Tony's arm now, puffed up like a giant cotton ball. "Okay you're just being chicken." Tony is scolding Tucker softly. "It was a golden retriever, skunk. It barely even had a pulse."

He half expects the nickname to earn him a scathing retort from Pepper, but his P.A. makes no reply. Instead he steps into the living room to find her still in the same chair she'd been in only ten minutes earlier.

Now the television is on, though, and she's staring, quite intensely, at the current headline news.

"And in other news...today has marked the discovery of two unidentified bodies. One is a male apparently in his thirties, the other a female several years younger..."

Pepper's hands dig into the sides of her recliner until the reporter finished the sentence. "Both appeared to be local college students, and both were African American."

"Pepper?" Tony says the words as gently as he can. It doesn't stop Pepper from jumping nearly a foot at the sound. She apparently hadn't heard him come in.

"I...I didn't see you."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Her face is pale, he has no idea what to say.

Or rather he doesn't until Pepper clears her throat.

"How hard is it really, Tony, to hack into the records for the L.A. DMV?"

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There's a moment of silence during which Tony blinks. "Pepper...?" His voice is very carefully controlled. He can't afford to be ruled by his emotions. Even if alarm quickly followed by protective unease is making the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

"I...I'm sorry. It's jut that I just realized that I need to find Brian." She admits. "Someone shot at me today. Now with that on the news... I...I need to make sure that he's still alive. I have to find out for sure that he's okay."

She's starting to twist her hands uncomfortably in her lap and Tony exhales deliberately. "You don't think that's better left to the police?" He prays to God that he sounds as uncondemning.

She can't...not like this...she's already been shot at. He's barely resisting the urge to sequester her in the mansion as it is.

"Tony you know that police are always over burdened. They could take weeks. He's...he's a nice guy. More importantly he's my friend."

"Your friend?" Tony inquires softly. He debates a moment before he forces himself to ask, "Or something significantly more than that?"

The way Pepper jerks makes his stomach twist uncomfortably. She stares at him through widened eyes. "What is it that you're implying, Tony?"

He forces himself to keep his tone light. "Nothing but that you seem pretty worried about someone who's just a casual acquaintance."

She blinks at the implication and then blushes to the roots of her hair. He forces himself to remain jovial even as his heart sinks at what he assumes is confirmation of his worst fear.

Pepper has been hiding the fact that she apparently has a lover.

"Tony, I..." She can't seem to find sufficient words. Her eyes are focused on her lap now, and her eyes are twitching nervously...

He keeps his tone light. "What Potts? I'm not exactly blind." He frowns... "Did you actually expect me to be unreasonable and throw a fit when I found out that you have an actual life?"

HE walks over to the chair she's in and squats down beside it. "Frankly, Pepper, I'd be more worried I thought you didn't have one these days. Everyone needs someone to lean on."

Her eyes slide shut and she exhales a little raggedly.

He carefully moves forward and folds her into a very tentative hug. "The last few months have been nightmarish. I'm glad you found some one to talk things over with." He doesn't say what he wants to, namely that he wishes that that person had been him. "I figure with all the shit you have had to deal with you've certainly earned the right to something comforting and normal. I won't say I'm not...disappointed, things didn't work out the way I'd hoped between us, but I do understand."

When the woman in his arms starts to shake he curses softly into her hair, before tightening his arms around her. "Do you mind if we move to someplace where both of us can sit down?" She shakes her slightly and he helps her stand up, lifting her off her feet carefully and carrying her over to the love seat, where they both sink down into the cushions.

She's crying in earnest now and he wants to pull her into his lap, because she obviously needs the comfort, but given what he's seeing right now, he's not sure it's his place.

That's the role of this Brian...the person that she's now breaking her heat over because she's afraid he might be dead.

'Don't be dead.' He pleads with his competitions internally, because as fucked up as it is he's rather see the man alive and Pepper in his arms, then see her this alone and hurting while he stands above her helpless.

He tries to reassure her. "I'm sure he's alright, Pepper, we'll find him and things can just get back to normal..."

This makes her cry even harder.

'Fuck it.' He sits down beside her on the seat, and pulls her into his arms, running a soothing hand first through her hair, and then down the length of her back, massaging into tensed muscles firmly.

He tells himself that if he actually gets hard as a result of her being in this kind of pain, he is going to seriously consider self castration.

"I...I'm a really sucky friend." When Pepper finally calms down enough to speak and finds her voice again he blinks in confusion at the disgust in her tone. She pulls back far enough from him to wipe her eyes with her fists, and then looks at him frankly. Her eyes are red and she looks really tired but she also looks...resolved somehow, he supposes is the world.

He's still massaging her back, and she's leaning back into it unconsciously. "He's not...Brian and I are not dating, that's not why I am feeling so crappy..."

"Then why?" His hands move in soothing circle, she drops her head to her chest and shudders once before looking up again.

"Because I have had sex with him Tony."

He pauses for the space of a heartbeat. Then he forces his hands to remain exactly where they are, a breaths out just a little harshly.

"One night stand?" It's easier to contemplate than the idea that this man is simply her fuck buddy.

"Sort of I guess. We only...he stayed the night a couple times. But that doesn't matter because even if we hadn't he's still a good man who deserves more concern than I gave him under the circumstances."

She looks at him again, and her eyes are dark and troubled. "Because honestly? I started getting threatening calls and I just..." She frowns as if she's disappointed in herself. The look breaks his heart. "I dropped him like a hot potato. I mean what kind of heartless bitch does that make me, Tony?"

"Pepper..." His voice is a little chiding, but his hands start unconsciously massing again, he wants to offer reassurance but she only cuts him off.

"No. It was uncomfortable, and I decided he was a liability. He's a person and it was absolutely shitty of me and you will not defend me."

He sighs and pulls her back into a hug again, burying his face briefly in her hair. "It was human, Pepper. The need to protect ourselves is pretty elemental, and you were being seriously threatened."

It's not pretty maybe, but it had been a forgivable response.

"What - then if someone had told you to stay away from me or they'd hurt you, you would have listened?" Pepper shakes her head against his chest. "You expect me to believe that you would have let me go about my business and you would have had nothing else to do with me?"

"No, but Pepper that's not exactly a fair comparison to make. After all I have a metal suit that I can use to protect myself and my job involves exposure to regular, often violent conflicts. That's totally different than you reacting from the gut when you're completely blindsided by a threat that you couldn't see coming. You're not at fault Pepper, for being scared and reacting instinctively."

"Bullshit. That's not a decent argument. You can't wear your suit everywhere, Tony. You can be caught by surprise just as easily as the next person. It wouldn't have changed your reaction; you wouldn't have dumped me because I was inconvenient."

Tony groans. "Pepper, no one puts out their neighbors house when their own in on fire. It's just not how the human brain is wired." He shakes his head, amazed she's still in his lap. He wonders if she even realizes right now that she's unconsciously clinging to the fabric of his jeans. "You're not a soldier. Period. Now stop beating yourself up." He puts more authority in his voice and is astounded at the resulting reaction that occurs almost instantly.

Pepper sighs and goes almost limp, dropping her head with a thump back against his chest.

"Tony..."

"Stop." He uses the same tone again.

"Fine." Her voice is resigned. This time it earns him a sigh as Pepper nods her head a little and scoots forward until she's slid out of his lap. "It's not my fault, then. Whatever you say. I still need to find out his address, and the quickest, safest way to get it is to hack the L.A. DMV."

She looks up at him then and sighs, before her jaw locks and her eyes meet his. "You can help or you can turn a blind eye but either way I am going to find him. And if you don't like it then you have three options. You can give me a leave of absence, I can quit, or you can fire me."


	6. Chapter 5

"You have three options. You can give me a leave of absence, I can quit, or you can fire me."

It's only two sentences, but Pepper uses them to pretty much blow her world apart. She doesn't know why, in what's been such a reasonable conversation, she suddenly throws down such an insane ultimatum. She doesn't usually fly off the handle this way...doesn't leave the middle path of calm for such violent extremes...

She can't take it back though, and surprisingly she really doesn't want to. Maybe she's more in shock from what happened earlier than she's realized. Maybe she's disgusted with herself.

Maybe she deserves to lose her job - she deserves something if the world is just. Because the last few minutes have left her feeling like an actor trapped in a third rate parody of what used to be her real life. And it's no one's fault but hers.

The lies are stacking on top of half truths until she can barely even see over the top of them. 'We slept together a couple times.' It was the truth certainly, but not the part that actually matters...

To call Brian her friend might well be the truth, but to call him just that is also exceptionally dishonest.

'So spit it out, Potts - you went out and hired a some professional company.' It's a simple statement of course, but for some reason she just can't force the words past her lips. The worst part of it all is why...because when she tries to frame the confession all she feels is this battering sense of complete humiliation and vulnerability.

Which makes no sense to her...because until now she'd never thought she was ashamed of what she was doing. Because she'd been seeing Brian for months on and off and Tony's the last person in the world who's likely to judge her harshly.

That doesn't change the fact that right now she feels twisted up on levels that will probably take her weeks to unknot.

Beside her, still on the couch, Tony stiffens a little. She's barely climbed out of his lap, and it scares her how much she wants to crawl back in again.

He wants to protect her - wants to help in any way that he can. He's being everything that a good friend should be.

And she?

Is fighting a sudden overpowering, absolutely insane desire to stick her tongue down his throat.

She doesn't understand why this is happening...what the hell is going on with her body. Maybe it's just stress acting on her in weird ways. maybe it's simple proximity. They have always had chemistry, after all. Part of the delicate balance of their dynamic has been never letting him or herself get too close in fear of accidental conflagration.

The way that he'd hugged her had been soothing...at least a first. And the feel of his arms hand been so reassuring...at least while she was crying...

Things hadn't gone to hell until after she'd stopped. When she'd started using words while he...

While he rubbed her back.

"Oh God." She buries her face in her hands, breathing escalating and her face turning bright red...

No wonder she is getting turned on. Her body is reacting exactly the way it had been trained to subconsciously for months now.

'You've spent the last six months with massage as you only lead in to sex. And other than Brian...' She had physically touched almost no one. It had been her sole outlet of meaningful stress relief from a world that was pressing down heavier, and heavier atop her shoulders.

Then today she'd lost it and not only received supportive affection - she'd ended up in Tony Stark's lap.

"Oh my God." She says in mortification. Without even thinking, she attempts to rise to her feet and flee. She doesn't get to far though. She doesn't even make it off the couch. She doesn't know how Tony senses her retreat...maybe it's something in her posture...maybe it's not. She can't bring herself to look directly at him right now. All she knows is that he moves like liquid lightening. One minute she's attempting to rise, the next she's falling backward into his lap.

"Okay one.." Tony's voice is calm but tensely hoarse. "Your crutches are across the room right now, and you can't walk on that leg. Doctor's orders. Number two...what the fuck is going on? Talk to me."

'Crap crap crap.' She tries to scramble up again, but his hand are on her hips and he's basically got her pinned atop his thighs.

"Tony," her breathing escalates. "Please let me go."

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He does.

He doesn't want to. She's shaking, though, and right now they're both in an incredibly awkward zone that has no clearly defined rules. And though everything in him is screaming that losing contact is the worst thing he can do, in the end it's Pepper, and she's got final say on what does and doesn't happen to her body.

So he shifts her slightly, so that she's on the cushion to his right, and he exhales deeply, and he tries to get a grip on himself while watching her with cautious eyes at the same time.

The woman next to him is practically vibrating with tension.- agitation so extreme it's causing her to physically shake. 'She just threatened to quit.' Well that or she might have just tried to bully him into firing him. Either way the results are pretty much the same.

Pepper's Potts stress levels have just popped the roof off of the metaphorical ceiling.

'Twice in ten years.' That's how many times in her life she's threatened to quit. Oh they've had back and forth verbal parries concerning him firing her occasionally, but never with any serious intention. It's an unspoken thing of course, but they've both know since the first time she really let him have it for being an ass that he would never ask her to leave.

Pepper and him get pissed at each other yes, but they also get regularly amused. Their repertoire has always involved what amounts to a game of chicken between two people who are exactly equal to each other in how often they'll concede.

They've yelled. He's sulked. She' sometimes bullied. He's sometimes bullied back and she's perfected the art of ignoring his antics when they don't suit her mood or his needs. But she doesn't do this - she doesn't threaten to quit. Because to to her those words as anything but a genuine warning or consequence are only blatant dishonesty.

Pepper doesn't quit unless she sees no other path. Unless she's completely and literally undone by something.

Last time it had been the fear she was basically helping him commit suicide. Now...

He doesn't know, but it's bad enough that she's internally combusting.

She doesn't want to be held? Fine. He won't actually restrain her. Instead he settles for cupping the back of her head with one hand, offering what comfort he can with a simple stroke of his thumb.

Well that and the tone that had worked so well in soothing her earlier. "It'll be all right, Pepper. Just breathe."

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'He is touching. He is touching.' It's not as encompassing as before, but somehow that only makes it worse. Because before her body had been both mellowing and hungry all at once, but there had been more to focus on then just the back and forth movement of his hand against the back of her neck.

And it needs to stop. It has to stop. It absolutely must stop, before she loses her mind.

But speech is beyond her at the moment - she's too busy shaking. And Tony, bless his heart, just doesn't understand he's only making it worse.

He doesn't know that she can smell him and feel the heat of his hip where it lightly brushes hers. He doesn't know that soothing base rumble he's using right now is driving her mad. Because she's scared but she's also hungry...

"Pep you need to slow down your breathing...whatever's wrong it'll be okay. Just take some deep breaths. Calm down and let then shock pass, then you talk to me." His hand reaches up to stroke the top of my head. "That's my girl, just take a deep breath."

"My girl?' He's never used an affectionate like that in his life. Pepper, yes, and 'Pep' occasionally. But never anything insipid - never honey. babe or sweetie. She's always been glad, because frankly she's heard the latter three as addresses for women he's slept with without remembering their names.

When he says 'my girl' though, his voice is like molasses, and there's just a world of deeper meaning underneath.

And her body likes that tone. God is her body responding. Nipples are hardening and her breathing is growing more shallow and she's in so much trouble. God she's actually wet.

He's got to shut up. Or she's never going to be able to look at him again.

"That's it Pepper. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe, my girl. It's going to be okay."

"God Tony be quiet." She finally manages to whimper, and then she's shutting him up the only way she can. With her lips.


	7. Chapter 6

Getting kissed by Pepper Potts is something Tony Stark has wondered about on any number of occasions. Since that night at the Fireman's benefit he's spent more than one long evening with nothing but a tumbler full of whiskey, his memory and a healthy talent for lustful speculation.

He's wondered what she tastes like, whether she'll close or part her lips... He's wondered if she'll be gentle or forceful or hesitant.

He has his answer now, though it's definitely not what he'd expected.

For several long seconds he doesn't know what to do. Yes, he wants to kiss Pepper. Moreover, he'd like to spend long, lazy afternoons kissing Pepper. She's warm and she's unbelievable and she feels and smells absolutely desperate.

But then, that's the problem as well as the truth: Pepper _is_ desperate, and overwhelmed, and possibly high on whatever they gave her at the hospital.

This kiss isn't about joining anything, it's about the need for escape.

Carefully, Tony wraps his hands around Pepper's upper arms and gently pushes her away. Or rather he tries to: Pepper's not particularly thrilled with the action. It earns him a struggle and a gasping sort of protest. Her breathing is shallow...and the look on her face.

The look on her face is agonized and hungry, her pupils are large and dilated. She's either really aroused, or she's literally in shock.

And regardless of which it is, she's just so damn _afraid._

And yes he wants this, but he wants it honestly, with no fear to cloud it and no chance for misunderstandings later. Even so, the desire to give her what she wants vs the desire to do what's best for her battle it out in a swift, bloody fight. And her wellbeing just barely wins out.

"Pepper... No." His voice is tender, but his expression is adamant and the words are firm because he refuses to start anything between them this way.

And she sees that. Tony can see the moment of clear recognition. Through the layers of pain and fear and shock, he sees the understanding in her eyes. She nods a little and then just like that the woman in his arms quite literally falls apart.

Her head drops and her body shakes and she sobs, once, deeply and utterly quiet, as her body goes limp under his grip. And she just stops fighting.

It's the most distressing thing he's ever seen in his life.

"Okay," Pepper finally says when she can speak - in a voice so hoarse he can barely hear it, and one that's still choked with tears. Her hands let go of the bits of his clothing she was clinging to and she starts the process of getting herself as far away from him as she possibly can.

He feels her body bunch with tension as she prepares to move out of his lap.. "No, don't do that either." He pulls her close again so that he can wrap his arms around her.

She tenses at the action, but doesn't try to fight him again.

"Pepper…I'm sorry. That was _not_ meant as rejection. You have no idea how much that kiss meant to me, or how long I've been waiting for it." She's so fragile right now that he can't bear to hurt her any more than she is so he doesn't hold back any of his own truth. "It's not the right time for this, right now, though. Not when I'm worrying that letting you continue might eventually hurt you more than stopping you. Pepper, you're in shock. I'm not saying no, I'm saying 'not now.'"

There's so much more he wants to say, like if they're going to be together then it's going to be when both of them are clearheaded and fully aware of what they're doing, but he doesn't think she's ready to hear things like that. Not yet.

Pepper seems to consider this a moment, then she nods her head a little. "Fine, but if you don't want to do this now, Tony, then please stop touching me." Her voice is ashamed. "Because for a number of reasons my body's having...issues...making distinctions at the moment."

That she's ashamed of the way she feels and is reacting makes him heartsick. Pepper Potts is one of the strongest women he knows, the one least likely to apologize for choosing a course of action and sticking to it. That she sees her body's needs as a weakness is just...

Wrong.

And something they're going to _have_ to address.

"As I said Pep, it's okay. It's a natural response and I'm in no way offended. Remember that I didn't say that I don't want to be with you, Pepper. I said that now's not the appropriate time . And correct me if I'm wrong, but that's where it felt like you were going. But just because you're aroused doesn't mean you have to run: there's more to this than just idling in neutral or going full throttle, if you take my drift." He risks letting her go with one hand so that he can brush her loose hair away from her neck. "If it's good to be touched, take comfort in it. Consider is a down payment on things still to come."

The contact of his skin against hers makes her shiver. Her body tenses for a moment, then relaxes again. "All right," she murmurs softly, staring straight ahead with disconnected eyes. "I'm sorry I did that Tony, I'm just...the world is pretty fucked up for me at the moment."

"Pepper, look at me." He tries to make his voice as reassuring and gentle as he can. It still take her far longer than he likes for her to comply. She's so removed from him, even as she meets his eyes that it floors him. He doesn't know what to say in the face of such numbness, so of course the first thing that comes to mind is what shoots out of his mouth as he tries to melt the ice that seems to be surrounding her.

"I want you." He swallows hard as he hears himself say the words, but it seems like as good a spot to start as any. "I want you, Pepper. I don't want to say 'no' to you. I want to give you whatever you ask for, because you ask for so little. Less than you should, and we both know it. But I can't take advantage of you either. I can't turn you into one of the women who go through my revolving bedroom door. Because as much as I want you in the immediate moment, I need the whole of you in the long run more."

Her eyes seem to register that, somewhere deep in their depths, but her voice is wry when she speaks. She shakes her head. "I don't even want me right now, Tony." She chews her lip, "Brian...He's just the symptom, really. One small part of the larger disease."

And no amount of rationalization is going to keep that from being true anymore.

"A symptom of what?' Tony murmurs softly, though he might have a clue. He just wonders if she does. It's hard to see exhaustion and burnout when you're actually experiencing it. People developed coping mechanisms that worked for awhile...but didn't entirely prevent the inevitable emotional crash.

"I hired a male escort, Tony," Pepper admits. "Because it's all that I have the time or energy for in my life. And that's not even the really pathetic part of the equation. I turned what should have stayed just a paid relationship into an actual friendship, and now someone's trying to kill me…they've probably already killed him."

She shakes her head, keeps staring straight in front of her. "So much for comfort. So much for having anything in my life that was just about me." She shrugs a little. "I should have known it wouldn't last."

Yeah...that was more or less what he'd figured. Massage therapists who you saw regularly and had sex with even if you weren't dating just weren't all that common in real life. Tony sighs heavily and pulls her closer as he slumps back on the couch. Her body is half slumped against his, but he can't vouch for the location of her mind.

His own is not in the best of places at the moment either.

'She hired a hooker, because she didn't have _room_ for anything else?' He's not sure there's a condemnation worse then that one concerning the life that they've been leading. He knows and understand that their schedules have changed since he got back from Afghanistan. There's been a company to restructure and a stock rating to repair and countless missions to run. He's been cranky himself...mentally and physically exhausted.

It's escaped his understanding though, that maybe he's not the only one.

And he should know better by now. Because from the very first day he that hired her, Pepper has always worked ten times harder than he does and it takes a near act of God to make her complain.

'Time to change that.' "Pepper...I'm going to suggest something, and I want you to hear me out before you say no."

"Go ahead." Her voice is quiet and she's playing mindlessly with the hem of her shirt sleeve. He's uncertain how much she's actually hearing.

"I want you to consider taking a minimum of three months off." He can feel the way she tenses, so he hurries to finish his argument before she can overrule him. "You've got at least that much vacation time piled up, Pepper. So much that HR has been after me to force you to take some of it off. But every time I've broached the subject even circumspectly, you give me a list of reasons why you can't. So I always let you decide where your limits actually were. I'll freely admit that I only had selfish motivations for not dragging you onto my plane and flying you someplace where you would be forced to take a break whether you wanted to go or not."

He looks down at the top of Pepper's head...her hands are twisting with increased agitation. "But I hadn't realized how...splintered...you'd become until now. And now there's this mess, and you've been shot, and you're still so focused on taking care of everyone _but_ yourself. Even your cat is getting more of your concern than you are at the moment. And that's not fair Pepper. You deserve to have someone look out for _you_."

He breathes out raggedly, because he's not really used to making speeches like this. "Please, Pepper. We both know how much I need you. But now that I know how you're really doing...how can you expect me to lean on you - it'd probably just send both of us toppling. Right now you're useless to me, even as just a personal assistant - which we both know you're far more than." He winces. "That didn't come out the way I meant it. You're not worthless or useless."

"Yes I am, Tony, by any measure that matters." She's crushed by this though...because leaving means even more distance between her and him, and frankly her work is the only thing that connects her to anything anymore.

Still if she's now a liability, then it's time for him to cut his losses, even just for a bit. Never mind she's already lost three months with him that she'll never get back.

He says he can't lean on her right now? Well it's no surprise; she hasn't been anchored to anything herself in longer than she can remember. Still if he wants three months apart then she supposes he's got the right to ask for some distance until she pulls herself together.

"You're not worthless to me," he whispers as he presses a kiss to the crown of her head. "Just think about it, please. It doesn't even have to be a full vacation. It can be half days so you have time to sleep as much as you need, and go get manicures, and eat so much that you end up spending an hour in my gym to make up for it. Or you can spend the time in any of my houses if you're worried that I'll just pester you if you stay with me. But I can't bear to see you this broken, Pepper. I...care...for you too much. You need to give yourself some time to heal a bit."

He loves her, but he can't tell her that. Not just because she's not ready to hear it, but because he doesn't know how to say it so that she believes him.

He just knows she can't afford to keep taking care of him at the expense of completely draining herself.

"I'll book plane tickets out of the city, Tony. As soon as I find out whether or not Brian's alive." Pepper doesn't know where she'll go...maybe to Maine. She went there with her parents as a child and she remembers the miles and miles of wave pounded beaches. There are cottages there where she can stay comfortably. Whole towns where a person can all but disappear from the world.

She'll probably fit right in. Though it may be hard to find one that will let her take her cat.

Tony closes his eyes in pain, because Pepper just sounds so empty. He doesn't think she even heard anything he just said. But maybe now isn't the time to push her. Maybe she does just need some time alone without her needy boss always demanding things from her.

Maybe he doesn't know what the hell he's doing. "You can take my jet," he murmurs against her hair.

She shakes her head. "I've caused enough trouble already. I just need a little while to deal with Brian and then I promise Tucker and I will be East Coast bound and out of your hair for awhile. We'll do just fine, there's no need to go out of your way or worry, a little solitude should be enough to whip me back into shape..."

And there isn't any reason to worry…' she reminds herself firmly. She's been alone almost all of her life - at one point she had the art mastered. If she's forgotten how to operate with only herself to actually lean on, it because she's gotten a little spoiled. It's a skill she's sure she'll relearn with practice.

She _hasn't_ been listening, apparently. Tony sighs deeply, then turns her face towards him. Only when she meets his eyes does he bend his head down and brush his lips against hers.

He kisses her softly, not as she had kissed him. Then she'd been desperately trying to steal something from him. Now he wants to give her so much...but it's up to her what she'll accept.

Her response is a soft sigh and a complete relaxing of her body in his arms. An abject surrender that makes something curl up, strong and protective in his belly. Her lips fall open just slightly, but she lets him set the pace. They kiss that way for several long relaxed minutes.

Tony only backs off when she starts to shift restlessly and her breathing starts to change.

After that, he returns to just holding her. They're already slouching, so Tony completes the job, leaning back so that Pepper's tucked between his body and the back of the couch. She's half sprawled on top of him, and he's still kissing her tenderly. If she won't hear what he has to say, maybe she'll believe what he does.

"What do you have Brian do when he came to visit?" He knows it's a terrible risk to bring the question up. But he needs to know what in her life is actually missing.

Is it sex, or just the simple need for touch?

Pepper stiffens a little, then finally shrugs. Apparently she decides the details can't be any more humiliating then what she's already had to admit to. "A...he always gave me a back and neck massage. That's why I first hired him - to help me cope with the migraines. When we...when it's more than that I don't really care what he does... I let him lead, and say no if I'm uncomfortable...otherwise he just makes me come."

And it's so nice, she acknowledges to herself, to not always have to be the who's in charge of what's going to happen.

Tony relaxes as he's given complete freedom to set his own pace. If Pepper has such low expectations, then he has so much room to work in, it's almost freeing.

He's a little surprised though, she hadn't expected more than that.

"And do you feel better when you're done?" he asks against her cheek as he turns his attention to just cuddling her. If they were at the mansion he would make her settle her down on the couch with a mocha and a blanket and give her a foot massage or something. But they're here in her home, and he doesn't know where anything is, so he uses what he has. His body, his warmth. She's practically soaking up his touch.

"It's always a relief..." she admits quietly. "To be out from under the weight. To let him look after things." She moans a little bit as she settle closer in against his chest. "With Brian, I don't _have_ to make any decisions, for once. I can just relax. I don't really do that all that often."

Tony goes still for the barest hint of a moment. 'Stark, you're an idiot. You're trying to give her time off to look after herself? Meanwhile she's been shopping for someone _else_ to do the job.'

Pepper hasn't just been hiring a companion, she's been hiring a very soft core Dom.

'And that surprises you? Why exactly? Because while you talk about leaning on her, who has she had to lean on?'

A man name Brian apparently. Who she's literally been paying for the privilege.

And it's just obscene. So completely and utterly wrong. He chooses his words carefully, "Look, I know I don't have any great qualifications to offer, but would you give me a chance to look after things for awhile, Pepper? At least until you're off the crutches?" He's so hesitant, and it's a strange feeling for him. He's not used to having to take other people's feelings into consideration. But he really thinks that if he orders Pepper to do anything right now, she'll either obey because she can't find the strength to do otherwise, or she'll rebel because it's what he'll deserve for bullying her when she's in this state.

Pepper looks a little confused. "I'm already doing that, Tony. You want me to take a break awhile and I'm going until I can get myself back together...though I hope it doesn't take three months." She shakes her head. "I'd miss being away for that long."

'Ahh...' Another part of him relaxes as he begins to understand her interpretation of his words. 'You're not just an idiot, you're an absolute moron. She thinks she's being cut lose because she can't pull her own weight at the moment.'

He wants to tell her that she's an idiot for thinking any such thing, but it would be counterproductive. Instead he keeps his voice casual. "I'll miss you if you go too. Maybe you should just stay around here...nothing says you have to come into the office and work 16 hours every day. You could come in and work an hour or two then swim in my pool, make that lasagna you like that I'll try and steal, make fun of my 'testosterone poisoned' movie collection..."

Pepper relaxes too; he can literally feel it. "There's nothing at all wrong with Vin Diesel, Tony, I freely admit it, but you have like six copies each of the each Die Hard movie...and don't even get me started on your Transformers or Thundercats collection... "

"When I said you needed a break, Pepper..." Tony chooses his words carefully. "I meant from having to keep on top of everything... From having to chase around after me. I didn't mean you were getting on my nerves...I'd miss seeing you if you went too far, and would probably spend most of the time harassing you wherever you are by phone just because I'm used to having you around all day long."

Pepper chortles, very softly against his chest, "Of course you would, Tony. Our relationship is by definition one of us chasing around the other...though the chaser is usually me." She yawns again. "If I ever stopped, well frankly, you probably wouldn't have a clue what to do then. It's just the way that we've always interacted."

He debates whether or not to take the opening she's given him. Taking it wins by a longshot.

"Maybe it's time we started to redefine our relationship, Pepper. Because the way it's working right now is obviously requiring more from you than it is from me."

The woman in his arms goes quiet, for several long seconds, then she sighs, "Lately yes. But that's not exactly your fault, you know. 'Whatever you require.' is pretty much my literal job description. You might have recently added some new responsibilities to the list, but I've could have chosen, if it was really to much, not to stay."

"Yes," Says Tony gently, "But meanwhile you're_ literally _paying for the consequences of staying because it's exhausting you so much mentally and emotionally."

"I hadn't looked at it that way," Pepper admits wryly, "But I suppose you're right. Don't worry, Tony, now that I know what's happening I'll find another way of coping."

Tony sighs, and goes for broke. Because she's not going to really hear him in any other way. "Pepper, I'm not telling you there's anything wrong with your coping method. I'm telling you to stop _paying_ for what's being offered for _free_."


	8. Chapter 7

Pepper doesn't give Tony any kind of reply at all, for at least fifteen minutes. Instead she simply lies there on his chest, with her hands wrapped lightly in the fabric of his shirt. She's so quiet in fact that Tony starts to wonder if she's actually heard his earlier offer, or if she's simply pondering all his possible meanings

He debates for awhile whether he should try to clarify his statement, then almost minutely shakes his head. She's overwhelmed enough by life as it is without more than he's already said. When she's ready to deal with the offer, she'll bring it up on her own.

Instead he concentrates on what comfort he knows he can offer that demands no serious commitment out of either of them: the warmth of his body and the gentle stroke of his hand atop her head.

For what it's worth, the tactic seems to work perfectly, because the longer they lay there, the more boneless she seems to become, until he's sure - or almost sure, at least - that she's fallen asleep.

It's an irony and a relief all at once, because he knows how exhausted she's been and how desperately she probably needs the respite.

Still he's always figured that if Pepper ever passed out on top of him, it'd be naked and pleasantly sated in bed.

'Later Stark. And even then only maybe.' He tries to scold himself for his mindset, but finds it hard to find the proper mindset of humility or penitence.

Because yes this is Pepper, and no he can't afford to take advantage of her. whatever grows up between them is going to have to be tended carefully and with serious mutual discussion and personal introspection on both of their parts. He has to admit that this situation has startled him - and not even because of this Brian exactly.

He's never been so arrogant as to assume Pepper didn't have emotional or even sexual needs, and he's also recognized she has to be meeting them somehow. He's just always assumed she did so through dating or even casual pick ups...or that she had a friend tucked away somewhere who enjoyed some extra benefits.

True he's teased her occasionally about her non-existent social life. Hell one Halloween he'd actually suggested that she come to the annual office Party as a Nun.

He frowns at the comment now, even though at the time she'd only laughed and told him that would confuse too many people, since she worked for the Devil...

'It was cruel Stark, even if you didn't realize it at the time.'

Not that Pepper's likely to see it that way. She'll probably say it's not that simple. She's even right in some lights, but only is some seriously wrong ways.

Somewhere along the way they had ended up terribly off balance - both of them blinded or hiding far too many things. The balance of power between them had changed.

She considers herself his employee. He'll even acknowledge he is, but rather like her with Brian he'd taken a relationship that had worked because it was professional and slowly morphed it into something more complex...with new challenges to juggle, not to mention new expectations.

The result was the woman in his arms. Who'd started paying for sex for lack of time for more. Who'd started paying for comfort as if it was a perfectly rational decision.

'To her it probably was.' She's probably not the only one in L.A who's ever done so.' Hell it could be argued he's done it a few times himself. Though what he'd always been looking for was numbness.

Numbness through fast cars, and when he was in his younger days, some pretty irresponsible sex.

If it hadn't been for partners who'd actually cared about their own health and Rhodey more than once threatening to bash his face in for being a 'dumbass' he knows he'd probably have hepatitis, or even worse, still be in and out of the various chiq L.A. Rehab Centers.

'At least the way she went, well I'm pretty damn sure we don't have to worry about either her or this Weber being clean.'

That's not what scares him though. At least not at his core. No what scares him is what he doesn't think she even comprehends at present.

'I let him do what he wants.' Pepper had been dabbling unawaredly in the D/s scene.

And that freaks the hell out of him, when he lets himself actually think about it. Not because he finds it perverted...hell at one point in his younger years he was pretty active in the D/s community himself.

He's bothered only by the fact that she's so tired its slipped her attention that that was what she's ben doing.

She's found a Dom - albeit a paid and aparrently decent one, yes. That doesn't make him feel better, because he doesn't think she knows.

And that is... Bad. No more precisely that is dangerous. Because well this Weber guy is apparently smart enough not to be a manipulator or an ass, it's only by luck Pepper even stumbled across him.

She claims that now that this is blowing up in her face she'll find another way of coping. He's not convinced though, that its really going to be that easy. Because as has already been stated, she's exhausted and stressed and changing habits is hard.

So where does that leave either of them? With a very finite number of options. And right now he's laying odds that her mental status is not going to be improved by cold turkey celibacy.

She needs about two weeks of sleep. And as much as she's going to loathe it, they need to have at least one very serious conversation.

She's going to be mortified to talk about it at all. But she simply can't afford to remain ignorant of the undercurrents of the path she's been taking. He doesn't know if she's true sub by nature, or just a potential switch who sort of stumbled into the game as a means of stress relief. Frankly as long as she actually knows and is aware of the possible ramifications of the choices she's made, he doesn't give a fuck.

Whether she ever explores the scene or gets into the D/s community isn't the point at the moment, her safety is.

He can't stand by and watch her compromise it anymore than she already has.

"You're serious." He startles when Pepper finally speaks. In part because what she says seems to gibe so much with his current train of thought.

"Absolutely." The words pop out of his mouth before he can stop them. Right now he's not sure they're even in the same conversation.

Pepper doesn't lift her head from his chest. "You're taking all of this differently than I thought you would. "

His hand pauses a moment, then resumes stroking through her hair. "Yeah it seems to be our week for that, doesn't it. ." He smiles a little wryly.

Her hand twitches against his shirt. "You just offered to basically have pity sex with me."

His hand drops from her skull and starts rubbing her back. "Uhm Pep, in case you haven't I can pretty much assure you that pity has absolutely nothing to do with it." His erection, which until now has managed to remain non existent finally swells to life with his full mental blessing as he rocks his hips upward gently.

Pepper stiffens a little. Then draws a shaky breath, as if his attraction is somehow unexpected. "Tony..."

"That's not mean tas pressure Pepper." His voice is firm if a little ironic. "But I'm also not going to lie and say the idea has no latent attraction for me. I've pretty much always been attracted to you. I assumed you knew that."

She shrugs. "I know we've always had chemistry, yeah. Still, taking you up on this kind of offer right now would be fucked up and unfair."

His hands don't pause in their rubbing, "Why do you think that if I can ask? And unfair to you or to me?"

"I don't like taking advantage of people, Tony. We've already established I'm not in the place in my life I can handle a real relationship. I've only been shopping for sex...and not particularly equal sex for that matter."

"And?" He says bluntly. Noting that the speed of her heart and breathing has increased a little. "I knew that when I offered, remember? If I couldn't handle the reality then I wouldn't have offered. It's only taking advanatage of me, Pep, if you're somehow misleading me about what's in offer."

She sighs. "If I did this...Tony I'd be basically using you. No promises...no guarantees...nothing at all but us occasionally sharing a bed. Do you really want to be what amounts to an living vibrator, Stark? I mean at least Brian I pay for my selfishness..."

The words are harsh - probably meant to offend him. So he knows she's a little surprised when he sighs and speaks the next words frankly.

"Frankly...Pepper, if the other option is watching you go try and find someone to fill the same role that this Weber was. than yeah, being your sometimes Dom is absolutely fine with me."

"Excuse me?!" Blue eyes stare back at him in stunned disbelief. Pepper's shocked enough she finally lifts her head up off his chest to stare at him in shock.

It wasn't the way he'd intended to bring the subject up...not by a long shot. He shrugs. "Sorry...I guess I could have handled that with a bit more tact..."

"Brian never..." Her breathing changes to something more distressed. "He wasn't. I just paid him to occasionally have what I assume was supremely boring sex with me."

He shakes his head, though his eyes are sympathetic. "By your own words you had him 'take care of things for awhile so you could let go and not charge.' So you could get out of your own head, in essence. I'm sorry Amante, but that's a pretty telling definition if you ask me..."

"But I never had a safe word...he never..." Pepper is practically babbling, but he can see the truth as it sparks in the back of her eyes.

"What? Made you beg to come? Spanked your ass?" He shakes his head, "It's just stereotypes, Pepper. He was doing what any good Dom should do under those circumstance...Pushing you only as far as you needed him to go...Keeping the focus on you."

She shivers and he wraps his arms around her tightly.

"Oh God." She murmurs, burying her face back in his chest again... "Tony I didn't...I wasn't..."

"You didn't see it." His voice is calm but unbending. "Unfortunately, Pep, that doesn't make it any less true."

She nods a little against his shirt, "I just wanted to stop for awhile...I never intended...I didn't mean to...to..." She can't find the words to finish the sentence.

"Give a near stranger that kind of unlimited power? I know that Amante, but if you'd been even a little less lucky, it could have gone very, very badly for you."

Pepper's frantically chewing her lower lip now. Tony doesn't know whether to be relieved or horrified by her distress.

"Oh God." she finally murmurs . "It's official...I am so fucked up in the head right now that it's made me an idiot. If it had been someone other than Brian...I could have been..."

She shudders, "Oh God it's just not worth it. I'm better off just going the hands off route. It'd be better to just never have sex again."

"Like hell." Tony says stubbornly, letting go just long enough to hook his finger under the edge of her chin. He waits until she looks at him. "You're not fucked up. You're over extended and exhausted. It's only dangerous if you don't realize it is happening, Pepper."

Pepper just looks at him, red eyed and a little shocky. "I want you to fuck me, Tony." She says the words like they're all the proof he should need of her alleged insanity. Then again. "I just did something nearly criminally stupid and even knowing that I'm still going half out of my mind because every time you touch me I want to have sex with you."

"Well tough." He informs her, a little sternly. "Because that's not on the table right now." He squeezes her hand, "Well not this way at least. If you want a willing partner than I am game...but we're going to be doing it on my terms."

She trembles, half from shock and half from repressed emotion. "Those being?" She can't believe she's even asking the question.

Tony though, doesn't seem surprised in the least.

"First of all, nothing for a wekk beyond some admittedly heavy petting. You need to get some sleep and get your head on straight before we think about anything that involves penetration In the meantime, no more trying to cut me out of this self imposed man hunt for Weber. If you want to find him, Pepper then that's fine, but I'm helping you do it."

She nods in agreement, too tired to argue. Hell he's not even asking that much - who is she to disagree.

"Anything else?" Her voice is hoarse.

"Yes." He catches her lips with his own and kisses her. Not gently at all. Instead this kiss is demanding - it makes her shiver from the sheer burning intensity. "No matter what else happens, we won't be just 'fucking' - find a better word."


	9. Chapter 8

She sees his decision to kiss her again before he makes a move towards her. It's in the burning emotion that leaves his dark eyes mesmerizing. It's a little breathtaking, honestly. Tony gets a certain look in his eye whenever he's fully consumed by a project, but she can't say the last time she saw this level of intensity in him. Tony's not playing at any of this. He's taking it all seriously and as a result she can't find the words to tell him he's just as crazy as she is. And before she can even start looking for the right words, his lips are on hers again and she's swamped by pure sensation.

His lips are warm. His body is hot. She can feel his erection still pressing against her pelvis and oh God she's hungry and _so _ready for this.

She may want this more than she's ever even dreamt of wanting anything in her life. She wants this so much there aren't really words to tell him. Not that he gives her much of a chance to speak. Every time he pulls away it's only just long enough for her to catch a few deep breaths before he returns and steals her mind with more bone-melting kisses. His hands are on her arms, her shoulders, her hips as he rises up and shifts until she's lying on her back under him and he's pressing her into the sofa cushions with the whole hot mass of his body.

The weight feels so good that it almost doesn't make sense. She normally doesn't like feeling trapped…in fact she hates being crushed. Except this is...neither. This is being held, not held down. He's braced on his knees and his forearms directly above her - there's room to move if it's really needed, but there's also his reassuring warmth and the strength held in promise above her.

It's not until she lets out a soft moan that Tony shows the tiniest bit of mercy and releases her mouth, though he doesn't stop kissing her. His mouth just migrates over her cheek to her ear where his teeth and lips make a brief stop at her earlobe before he buries his face in her neck. His beard is scratchy on delicate skin and it feels like he's deliberately scraping it against her. Trying to make her squirm.

He gets his wish: she shudders at the sensation, allows her head to fall back as her hands clench and her hips rise up automatically off of the cushions.

She gasps when her hips impact against his and Tony growls in approval. "Yeah, that's it, Amante. Cry out just like that. I want to hear you."

His voice shoots to a part of her brain that somehow isn't consumed by the wealth of tactile sensation flooding her. And she likes it. She likes how it rumbles in his chest and how she can _feel_ it rumbling in his chest.

Wanting more, she presses her palms to either side of the reactor glowing dimly though his dark, untucked dress shirt. Tony surprises her by pressing back, allowing her arms to support a fraction of his weight for several long seconds.

"I can feel it pulsing..." she murmurs, gasping under the increased pressure. "It's like a steady subtle drone against the backdrop of your heart."

"Is that good or bad?" His breath washes against her skin as he slowly moves towards the wide neck of her simple cotton shirt. He kisses the pale white skin and is rewarded by a full-body shudder.

"I like it," she answers softly. "It's a little odd, but also soothing..." The reactor is also slightly warmer than the skin around it, she can feel the heat it produces emanating through the fabric of his shirt.

"Good." His weight shifts back onto his thighs as his hands trail down her ribs and then up under the hem of her shirt. They pause there for a moment, just above the flair of her hips. The heat of his hands shocks her yet again.

He regards her thoughtfully for a moment through eyes that are almost black, "I'm going to unbutton this now. If you can, be a good girl and hold still for me. If you can manage not to squirm too much while I look my fill, I'll make it up to you."

She shivers at the honey in his voice as his hands slide across her belly before finding the lowest button. He works it free, eyes never leaving the tiny swell of her stomach it reveals.

Pepper squirms a little, suddenly very conscious that the living room is flooded by sunlight and that the man studying her body intensely is also the man whose eyes she has to meet every morning. But then Tony bends down, pressing his open mouth to her belly.

"God...you're so fucking gorgeous," he mutters, circling the rim of her belly button with the tip of his tongue before popping another button and revealing another inch or two of skin. "So warm and perfect - and every inch of you is _real_."

Okay, apparently it doesn't matter that she doesn't have a super-model's body.

He inches and kisses his way up her torso until he pops the last few buttons free and he carefully spreads the two sides of her shirt so he can gaze at her chest. To her amazement, his fingers tremble a little as he lightly traces the outer curves of her breasts with his fingertips. "God, if you only knew how many years I've waited to see this," he murmurs, stroking the undercurve of her breasts.

Pepper's bra is front clasping...and a great deal naughtier than her usual work attire. Unfortunately (or not!) it's also the last of her clean laundry, and all that she'd had to put on this morning.

Tony shudders at the feel of the sheer, almost translucent material. And Pepper's nipples are suddenly harder than they've ever been in her life.

His hands shift, cupping her curves in broad hands and his thumbs sweep over the stiff peaks, dragging a soft sound of pleasure past her lips. His eyes shoot up to hers, as if she's startled him, but then he wets his lips and repeats the motion with a little more pressure. That causes little sparks to go off in her head, and heat to flood between her thighs. And Pepper realizes in slight alarm that at the moment, she's not even wearing panties.

It hadn't been deliberate - she simply hadn't been expecting this. Her last clean pair had ended up blood speckled from her visit to the hospital, and she hadn't been able to force herself to leave them on or change into a pair she knew had already been used. Instead she'd packed a couple dirty from the hamper in the bathroom, expecting to throw a load of clothes in at the mansion...

Wet heat settles over her breast, pulling Pepper away from her sudden anxiety.

At first it's just Tony's lips, barely parted and brushing at her nipple through the fabric of her bra. Then his hands slip under her back and arch her chest towards his mouth and his tongue comes into play...

She cries out, hands grasping at the cushions to either side of her.

He smiles, flicks his tongue across the stiff peaks once more. "I said stay still, Pepper. Or do I need to maybe hold your hands above your head for you?

She shakes her head in a jerky motion and forces her hands to relax. Only then does Tony bend his head again and turn his attention to her other breast. The sensation is intense, so much she nearly can't bear it. She whimpers in shock when he returns to the first nipple again, this time nipping lightly with his teeth.

"Tony!" The word is a shriek, and only his weight keeps her pinned to the couch. It's not pain exactly...But God, she'd had no clue her breasts could feel so swollen or so desperately sensitive.

"Problem, love?" he asks her quietly. "'Cause you can talk if you need to. And remember if you need to use a safe word, all you have to say is 'stop.'"

Her eyes squeeze shut. "Stop" is the furthest thing from her mind right now. So is functional language.

"Tony..." she whimpers again. Her chest arching up a little toward him.

"Shhh..." he soothes her as he shifts his hands again. It only takes a twist of his fingers for her bra to fall open, and this mouth is against bare skin.

She groans. "Oh _God_..." Her hands flail as he nips at the stiff peak again.

"If it'll make you feel better, you can touch me now, Pepper," he murmurs against her skin.

Her hands shoot up and curl in his hair. Because right now, by all that's holy, she needs to grab onto _something_.

Tony chuckles a little, but continues his torment, trailing nipping little kisses down along the under curve of her breast. "You taste unbelievable...and you smell even better..." He tugs free the bra from beneath her back. "And I'm not sure I'm going to survive if this is part of a set."

"It's not," she squeaks. "This is...all..."

Tony blinks at that. Then his hand reaches up and under her skirt.

"You. Are. Not. Wearing. Underwear." His hips drive down into hers, and from the look on his face it's involuntary. If it weren't for the passion still burning in his eyes she'd be a little intimidated by the sternness of his features.

Pepper feels her face grow red. "My last pair got blood spattered, Tony. I haven't had time to do laundry."

His face changes somehow. It's not obvious, and the heat pouring off him doesn't disappear or anything, but there's a tenderness to him now. He shifts carefully over her, so that more of his weight rests away from her wound as he nods a little, intently studying her face.

"How is your leg doing?" he asks, lifting the edge of her skirt carefully just far enough to see the row of stitches on her outer thigh.

"Sore," she admits after a moment. "But not unbearably so. Mostly it just feels weird...like the skin is really stiff." Admittedly all this involuntary clenching and unclenching isn't helping the situation, but she'll be damned if she'll admit that for fear that the knowledge will lead him to stop.

Tony nods and traces the outer edge of the wound gently. "Pep, I think it's time for a pause and probably a change of position."

Pepper reaches out and awkwardly starts undoing the buttons of his black button-down. "No. Please don't stop," she whispers, more to his chest than to him, but when she raises her eyes they're absolutely sincere. If they stop they may not restart...and the idea is simply unbearable. She wants the comfort he represents. Hell, she wants him period.

His hands still the movement and his eyes darken a little more at the need in hers. "I didn't say I intended to quit, Amante. Just make adjustments for your limitations."

Pepper chews her lip, acknowledging the limitations of both her body and her medium sized couch. "We could..." She blushes. "We could always move this to the guest room. It's clean. My actual bedroom is a pig sty." Because like her personal laundry upkeep, her house has been dropped to the bottom of her almost endless things to do list.

Tony's eyes narrow a little, as if he suspects she's possibly not telling him the truth or is trying to hide and he wants to tell her he's not going to let her. But then he sighs a little and pushes himself upright. Pepper pulls her shirt around her, once again struck by the fact this is a little awkward and she must be insane. But she offers her hand so he can help her up anyway.

Except he doesn't take it. Instead he scoops her up without warning and with more ease than she would have thought possible. "For the record, Pepper, I don't care how messy your house is short of the fact you think I'm going to judge or care. Where exactly is your bedroom?"

"Tony, the guest room is fine -"

He stops her with his mouth, kisses her until she goes limp in his arms. "Do you consider me a guest, Pepper?" he murmurs when he finally pulls away.

She sighs very deeply. "Third door on the left. Be careful not to trip over the piles of dirty laundry."

"Don't know why you think I'm even going to notice anything about the room other than the fact that you're in it," he says directly as he carries her down the hallway. "I mean, sure, there's been times in the past when you've managed to pull my attention away from half naked women. But now it's you, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing that's going to pull my attention away from that."

Pepper smiles a little in spite of herself and nods before finally giving up the argument in favor of resting her head against his collarbone as he pushes the half propped door open with his left foot. Still she winces a little at the chaos that's everywhere. The clothing on the floor and the pile of books on the low table with the lamp by her bed.

Pepper's room has always been simply decorated in burnished shades of autumn red brown and green. There's a stuffed chair next to a bookcase by the window and a collection of delicate antique oil lamps on shelves set into each of the room's corners. And even though they're not lit at present the liquid inside them is tinted dark red - probably scented oil of some kind.

He barely seems to notice as he goes straight to the bed and drapes her over it to his apparent satisfaction. Her shirt and bra disappear and considering the way his hands are stroking the outside of her thighs, her skirt's probably going to go the same way soon. But he makes absolutely no move to remove his own clothing, or to even finish unbuttoning the shirt she started on.

And that just isn't fair. Isn't anywhere near equitable. "Your shirt," she murmurs, running a shaking hand through his hair.

Tony chuckles wryly. "Let's not test my control any more than we already are, Pep," he murmurs as his sweeping hands push the hem of her skirt up a few tantalizing inches.

She wants to protest, wants to touch more of him, but is distracted from forming the words by the sheer intensity of the growing sensations as one hand caresses the delicate skin behind her right knee.

She shivers and neither mistake the way her toes tightly clench.

"Oh you like that do you?" He repeats the stroking motion. Then his hand starts creeping steadily up her uninjured thigh. "That's good. I want you to like it, Amante. I want you to like what I do to you." He slides onto the bed, his body lying just off to her side and his head equal with her belly. "I want you to need my touch," he whispers as the tips of his fingers draw delicate, abstract patterns on the inside of her thigh.

"I do." Her throat is tight, but she manages that much of a reply. He's called her Amante several times now...she wonders for a moment what it means. But her attention right now is subsumed other more urgent questions. Like what in hell he's doing to his voice...and why the tone seems capable of making her literally twitch.

"You smell phenomenal, Pep. So close and ready for me." He shifts on the bed, resting his head against her hip. From her position she can just see the profile of his face. His eyes drift shut and he inhales deeply...then his head turns and he's pressing open-mouthed kisses against her core through her skirt.

"Oh. My. God." She arches up involuntarily, shocked at the heat and the wetness even through the soft fabric.

"Do you like that, Pepper?" He's not trying to tease her, but she can still feel the heat of his breath through the material and the slight movement of his lips.

She doesn't speak in answer, but she manages to roughly nod her head. Like _really_ doesn't cover it at the moment.

"Do you want more?" His other hand slips under her skirt, under her thigh, and starts massaging the firm muscle it finds. The press and drag of his fingers against her flesh leave her speechless. Her head drops back as her fingers dig into the sheets. The wet rush of arousal is as close to an answer as she can manage at the moment. His hands move a little higher still, and he groans in approval. "God Pepper...so sensitive...you're already so wet." He flips her skirt up and smoothes it back so that his view of her is unimpeded. "Move this leg for me, just a little..." His hand provides assistance and direction as she whimpers softly and makes an uncoordinated attempt to obey.

"You're making me rethink my stance on drawing the line at petting, Amante. I'd give just about anything to be inside you right now." He drags wet kisses across her abdomen as his hand plays with the patch of hair just above her core.

"I.wouldn't.object." She actually manages three words in a row. Which is impressive at the moment. Really.

"Mmm...I know." He sighs deeply and presses his forehead against her. After several long, drawn out seconds she can feel him slowly shaking his head against her. "No," he murmurs, more to himself than to her. "We're sticking to the plan."

She whimpers, in what is surprising disappointment really, because well Brian didn't always choose penetration either, but she never felt any loss at the fact.

Of course Tony Stark is most definitely _not_ Brian Weber.

"We'll get there, Pepper, soon enough. And just because I want to take care of you first, doesn't mean I'm going to leave you like this." He draws her good leg a little further out from her body. "Do you want my fingers on you, Pepper?"

"On or in?" she asks, hoping he doesn't make her beg.

There's a pause and a sharp intake of breath as Tony considers. "I suppose that depends on how nicely you ask," he finally murmurs wickedly.

Her eyes crack open. "Tony, please..." She's so close to completion. But more than that, this is about feeling full. She craves the feel of connection.

He looks...evil. There's definitely a mischievous light in his eyes as he meets hers. But he apparently decides to save it for later because his fingers lightly stroke over her core, giving her what she wants and denying her all at the same time.

" 'Please, Tony,' _what, _Amante?" he whispers. "Just ask me specifically..."

Her mouth opens and closes uselessly several times until she's ready to whimper in pure frustration. She just _looks_ at him, hoping he'll somehow understand and take pity already.

His smile is beautiful as he pushes himself up with one arm and slides up her body until he can brush his lips against her mouth...against her eyes... "Shhh..." His thigh comes down over hers, holding her open as his fingers delicately explore. "Relax, Amante. We're going to get there. Just relax and let me handle it."

And she does, because his voice is heavy with a promise of so much coming pleasure.

He takes his time...stroking through her folds with varying amount of pressure, teasing her opening until she's biting her lip to keep back actual keening sounds. "Oh no you don't, Amante. I want to hear you." She gasps aloud as his thumb finally finds her clit and starts circling, first with a fair amount of pressure, then maddeningly, more gently. "God I love this, Pepper...watching you push toward the peak, getting more and more desperate to come."

"Tony?" Her voice cracks as she says his name and to Pepper's embarrassment, Tony actually laughs softly.

"Yes, Pepper. I'm right here." His thumbnail flicks over her as one finger probes her slick entrance. "I've got you," he rumbles against her ear.

Then finally he lets a finger slip inside.

And she's caught there in that moment...with his finger buried inside her and his voice murmuring all measure of heat and pleasure into her ear. It's so much that her entire body starts quaking. "That's it. Just go ahead and come," he urges. "Let me see you come for me. It'll give me a benchmark to shoot for as I try to drag another one out of you. You could come for me twice, couldn't you, Pepper?" His thumb continues tormenting her as his finger sinks into her until it can go no further and even then he's searching, searching...

And his finger finally finds, and she moans out his name.

Her orgasm doesn't t so much arrive as it literally erupts: starting between her legs and rolling outward till it literally short circuits her brain. Her whole body jerks repeatedly several times, then goes utterly limp in the aftermath.

She can feel Tony murmuring against her ear the entire time as his hand stills. Except for the digit inside her; that pulses occasionally, against the rhythm of the contractions rolling through her, urging it on until she's limp against the bed with Tony wrapped around her. His erection presses insistently against her hip but he doesn't nothing to act on it. And his hand...his hand stays exactly where it is.

"Mmm," he murmurs. "That certainly looked like it felt good."

She feels her eyebrows raise but she can't quite manage to open her eyes and any possibility of forming words is pretty much beyond her at the moment. The way his fingers remain on her though seems to imply he's waiting for an answer of some sort.

"Mmm-hmm…"

He smiles, shifts his fingers just slightly. "Good enough, Amanate, to manage coming that hard again?" His thumb starts circling over her again, very lightly. The action causes a strange sort of fluttering sensation in her belly.

He's half propped over her, and his face is the first thing Pepper sees when she opens her eyes. His eyes are intent and they take note of every time her breath hitches or her throat moves as she swallows... Her only thought is that he looks _hungry_. And her response to that thought is that she wants to be the one to satisfy him.

"More..." she whispers as her hand grazes his side, then settles on his hip. She tries to pull him down, but he resists; the space between them remains despite her effort. "Please, Tony. I just want you close"

His face softens at the request and he nods, stretching out as best as he can without disrupting the motion of his hand. It's a difficult position adjustment though and in the process one of the fingers inside of her presses up, almost painfully hard into the center of her g-spot.

"HolyFuckingCOW!" Her response is a stunned, needy wail.

Tony freezes, his eyes shooting to hers in shock. "Pepper...?" He asks her cautiously.

Her legs shiver, caught on the edge of a brain melting orgasm. "Reallygoodspot." She wheezes out the words.

"Oh yeah...?" His voice turns into a dangerous purr. "I should steer clear for awhile then, if we want to drag this out."

"Drag this out?" She whimpers, her hips trying to following his retreating fingertips.

"Yeah, you know. Make it last?" His fingers tease her with shallow thrusts. "We don't want to exhaust you too badly, Pepper."

She looks at him incredulously. "And you call this _relaxing_?"

"No...I call this 'dragging things out.'" He drags his teeth along the line of her jaw. It's at that moment Pepper comes to a very important conclusion: the man lying beside her is several steps _above _simply evil.

He appears to be working toward a doctorate in actual arch-demon.

"We're not racing, Pepper. Neither of us have to go anywhere, or worry about having to call quits due to the time." Tony's voice is traitorously soft. "So there's no reason to rush, no reason to settle for what's available right now. I consider it one of this bargain's better advantages."

Her hips squirm at the notion, but her head shakes a little. "What about.." His fingers twitch and she moans... "What about the police? They could be here any time."

"They might be. But then again, they could be hours still." He nips tenderly at the tendons in her throat.

"Don't want to get interrupted." The pressure between her legs is building again, and his mouth closes around the rim of her ear. Which isn't fair at all, because her ears have always been so sensitive...how's she supposed to have any kind of semblance of an actual conversation?

He ignores her worries, leaving her incredibly frustrated as his fingers actually totally withdraw from her body. Not that his lips don't do their best to make up for it. They work over the delicate skin around her ear, driving her mad with the fulfillment of one need and the denial of another.

This is all just so much...it's nearly beyond her comprehension. This isn't what she has with Brian...not by any kind of long shot. To try and compare them would be to pit a kitten against a tiger.

For one thing, Tony's not really doing this for her - at least not entirely. He is, in a way, but he is also completely fascinated by her, to the point where his own physical satisfaction seems to be a distant concern when compared to the way he is puzzling out each and every reaction she is having to him.

For some reason that knowledge made this situation a little easier to handle...made the whole thing seem a little more equitable. It offers Tony a system to learn...or maybe a puzzle to solve. Either way its another spark to light up a brain that Pepper suspects is all to often plagued by boredom.

"You taste...delicious..." he mumbles in her ear. "And I haven't even gotten between your legs yet."

Those words cause more than a shiver, they cause an actual shudder as her hips lift up off of the bed.

Tony chuckles. "Well someone certainly likes that idea. Of course, I'm pretty fond of it myself. Maybe if you're a very good girl and get lots of sleep tonight, I could be persuaded to eat you out tomorrow. Would you like that, Amante?"

Her fists clench in the sheets. "Tony _please_: stop or _finish_." Before you makes an utter fool of herself and starts crying or begging.

"You're actually giving me stop as an option?" he teases as he repositions his hand at her entrance. "What would you do if I chose it?"

Her hand shoots out just far enough to grab the handle of the drawer in the bedside table. It's where she keeps her vibrator.

He grabs her hand. "Okay, okay. I get it. You're a self sufficient woman. I'll stop making threats we both know I'm not going to follow through on." His lips move over her fist until it loosens, and then he turns her hand so he can kiss her palm. She groans when his tongue snakes out and swipes the inside arch of her thumb.

"Oh God," she murmurs, "I just showed you where my fricking fun drawer is.'" He's going to tease her mercilessly about that later.

"I promise to give it all due consideration in a little while, Pepper." He nips at the pad of her thumb while the fingers of his other hand slide over her clit. "Let's see if I can get you to curse again, shall we?"

Pepper responds to that challenge by deliberately biting down on her lip. Because she'll be damned if she just hands the whole world on a silver platter to him. If he can be stubborn, well then so can she.

The corners of his eyes crinkle up at her small act of defiance. "Of course, how am I supposed to know I've found the right spot unless I can hear your reactions, Pepper? I might do it wrong if you don't tell me." He lets go of her hand and starts rubbing his beard against the tender skin of her chest. "How will I know if I should start with one finger or two or three? Come on, Pepper... Just let me hear you, please."

She sighs but nods. "You, Tony Edward Stark are a tease."

"Possibly." He slips his middle finger into her in one smooth motion. "But I can back it up, so it's alright."

Her eyes roll back as her pelvis rocks forward gently, seeking a deeper, firmer touch.

"Uh uh uh..." His hand retreats. "Do I need to remind you who's supposed to be running this show?"

"Need I remind you who's _usually_ running the show when all eyes are on you?" she snaps back, though there's no real bite in her voice.

He chuckles. "Wow...you get kind of snarky when you're getting close."

"And you're still a pain in the ass," she whispers under her breath. God, the man wants to see her reactions, but only the ones he wants. And she...if he doesn't release the pressure building inside her, she's going to crack.

She wonders for several stunned seconds if that migth be the point.

"It's not a complaint Potts, I'm missed it lately I'll have you know..." And he has good reason to she acknowledges, ha..because it's been weeks since Pepper's really let loose on him. As their responsibilities have increased their typical banter and verbal sparring have all but been subsumed under a stiffening veneer of professionalism. She so rarely has the energy anymore for what amoutns to their usual flirting.

It's neither here nor there though, she decides after a moment...not when her flesh and her smell and her gasps are what beckon in comparison. She's desperately close, and she can tell by the way her inner walls arerelexively tightening.

A tiny push would really be all it would take...if he's ready to let go of this moment in time.

Above her Tony thinks about the strain in Pepper's voice and he feels something in the center of his chest get all soft. He's supposed to be taking care of her, and if she falls asleep as soon as she comes like he suspects she might, where's the harm in that?

Tony stretches out against her again and gently turns her head until he can kiss her deeply, penetrating her mouth with his tongue in a rhythm that counters the one that has her hips rocking softly.

She melts into the kiss the way she'd earlier melted into his body, eyes gradually drifting shut as his hand picked up both the depth and time. "That's it, Amante...Go ahead and come apart for me," he murmurs when he breaks for air before sealing his mouth to hers again. And then he presses up into that spot she'd reacted so strongly to earlier.

Her lips vibrate against his as she cries out, and her hips arch up almost uncontrollably before she thrusts back down into his hand. This orgasm doesn't hit as hard as her first one perhaps, but to her it seems to last several times longer, a new set of spasms set off every time he presses up and into that spot with his fingertips.

By the time he finally pulls out Pepper's a literal ragdoll passed out on the bed.

"Thank you," She murmurs through exhausted lips. "Give me a little while and I'll return the favor."

And then she's unconscious and he's above er watching her sleep.

He brushes her hair away from her face with a hand that trembles. She is so beautiful, always. But glowing and flushed with satisfaction, she's another kind of beautiful altogether and he's so fucking aroused that it hurts but it's worth it because she seems to be more alive than he's seen her in awhile. She's also asleep and unlikely to be waking for the next several hours. He grins in satisfaction before gently rolling away from her. He needs first a stop in the bathroom then perhaps a quick few minutes on his cell phone.

He wants to know the status of Pepper's car, and how long it's going to take Stark security to arrive. He knows Pepper will feel better knowing someone's safeguarding the property even if the window has been prepared. Once those task are done though, he's coming back to bed. Because he has no intention of seeing her wake up alone.

And no, her offer or reciprocation has absolutely nothing to do with it. After she wakes up they're going to talk about a few things.


	10. Chapter 9

Pepper wakes up warm, naked and pressed against another body.

The first is nice, the second and the third are distinctly odd, as is the light pouring through the panes of her bedroom's far picture window. In the last three months Pepper can't remember the last time that she crawled into or out of her bed with the sun actually still above the horizon.

"You're finally awake," comes an amused voice beside her. "Good. That means I don't have to wake you to see what you're going to want for supper. I was checking the phone book earlier, and there's takeout for Thai, Italian or Indian."

Tony Stark is lying on his stomach on the opposite side of the bed, with a book propped open on the mattress directly in front of him. He's fully dressed but it hasn't apparently stopped her from curling into the warm curve of his body while she slept.

'Naked,' her brain supplies again. 'You are in bed with Tony Stark and you are NAK-ED'

Albeit not naked _visibly_, thank the Lord. Some time in the intervening hours since she drifted off to sleep, Tony had gotten up and then returned, covering them both with the soft chenille blanket she keeps draped across the back of the chair by the window.

It's not a lot of cover, but at least it's affording her the illusion of modesty.

Which is going to be gone in about fifteen seconds she admits sardonically, because she has to use the bathroom.

'Stop being such a Ninny!' a caustic voice inside her head snaps. 'It's a little late to be worrying about your dignity.' The man has let her cry all over him last night, she'd gotten snot all over his shirt. Compared to that intimacy, who _cares _if he's also seen her with her clothes off.

"Pepper? Potts?! Earth to Virginia!" His unaccustomed use of her actual first name is just strange enough to regain her attention. She finds him grinning just slightly. "You never answered my question... Italian, Thai or Indian for supper?"

Her stomach rumbles. "They all sound good, actually. Get whatever sounds best to you, because right now I'll gladly eat anything."

He nods. "Indian it is then. Do you prefer your curry mild or extra spicy?"

"Mild's probably better," she answers back softly. "My stomach's pretty empty right now for me to dump anything in it that's more extreme." She's off balance enough as it is without adding heartburn to her list of ailments.

"I'll go order then." Tony reaches over and kisses her forehead. Then he slides effortlessly out from under the blankets before shifting up and onto his feet..

"Oh, here..." He pauses just before the door to grab something from atop the dresser and toss it to her. "These are for you."

She blinks at the two items land in messy piles on the bed. "It's just clean a t-shirt and sweat pants." Tony informs her softly. "I didn't need to sleep as long as you and I figured you might like something clean and comfortable to wear tonight, so I threw a load in."

Pepper blinks. "You did my laundry?"

He shrugs. "Just the stuff I was sure I couldn't wreck. The rest I packed up so that you can finish it up if you want to while you're staying at my place. As I said, I figured you'd want something other than a skirt to sleep in, and I didn't have much else to do." He turns toward the door. "Look I'm gonna call for delivery. I'll be back after I call." He pauses in the door frame still not looking at her. "I was figuring we could chat while we eat. So unless I miss my guess, you're probably going to want to get dressed."

Pepper's not sure if it's meant as reassurance or warning, but either way it's enough to make her scramble out from under the covers as soon as the door shuts. Her bra from earlier is still on the floor beside the bed and probably clean enough for re donning. She fastens in into place before pulling the freshly washed t-shirt over her head.

The sweat pants are some of her largest - and easily slide on without much irritation to her sore thigh. A pair of socks from the drawer things all out nicely.

She feels a million times more like herself once she's properly covered again.

When Tony returns she's limping across the room to return the now refolded blanket to it's usual space. He frowns when he sees her. "Potts you _know_ that you're not suppose to be standing without crutches, so why do you keep doing it?"

She rolls her eyes, "It was maybe five feet. Besides I need to visit the ladies' room."

He sighs. "Fine. I'll go grab your crutches from the living room. Can you at least hang out in that chair until I get back?"

Pepper rubs at her nose, still a little unsure of how she's supposed to act around him now. "I'm fine. The bathroom is five feet away, Tony. I can hop that far." Her voice is pacifying. "But if you bring my crutches there, then I can at least join you in my dining room for dinner."

He nods, face serious. "Just be careful. Because if you rip out those stitches, neither of us will be particularly happy."

What he means of course is that if she rips those stitches he's going to be hard pressed not to wring her neck.

"Don't worry, I won't put much weight on it. It already hurts too much for that. I appreciate the concern..though you kind of are a Mother Hen."

He snorts at that claim. "And you're not? How often do you chase me around with a first aid kit when I get back from a mission?" He laughs when she makes a face at that. "Look, I'll leave your crutches propped outside the bedroom door. Go take care of whatever you need to."

For the longest moment Pepper has the oddest sense of déjà vu. Like this could be them on almost any day of the week haggling over what needs to get done and who needs to attend what meeting. It's an odd sensation...the feeling that both everything and nothing has changed.

"Thank you." Pepper waits until he leaves before she turns and does more or less hop into the bathroom. There's no denying that Tony's seen quite a bit of her, but that's no reason to let him stick around and watch her be awkward..

Once she gets in the bathroom she spends a few moments on the toilet, before moving to the vanity to carefully wash her hands. She's a little stunned by the woman who stares back at her through the mirror.

Pepper's never been what anyone would consider tan. With her coloring she was either white, lobster red, or peeling. But her face is paler than usual, though the eyes that stare back at her are relaxed. Her lips are a little swollen still, a little bit pinker than normal. It's as if exhaustion and satisfaction are using her face as a battle ground and neither have claimed a victory.

She's also lost weight to the point that it's starting to get noticeable. For the first time in three years she may even fit into her beloved but a-little-too-tight pair of jeans.

She'd almost be happy about it, if it had been because of time spent running or toning up in the gym.

That isn't what's caused it though. The cause is more likely prolonged self neglect. 'You look worn out, Potts. Though thankfully not totally pathetic yet.'

She also looks like she's been loved within an inch of her life.

She carefully closes a mental door on that thought, though she doesn't lock it. There's a lot in her life she can avoid, but there's some things she can't. Right now Tony Stark is at the top of that list, and trying to avoid him, and his offer, and her apparent acceptance of it will only get her into trouble. However, that doesn't mean she has to think about all the ramifications in detail, and thinking about the emotions that might be driving both of them is just a little overwhelming...

What she needs is to get some food into her, to pack up, and probably go to bed early so that she's ready to face tomorrow.

She just hopes the police arrive at the townhouse soon, because there's just not as much to distract Tony here as there is at the mansion.

A gentle knock at the door of the bathroom interrupts any further thoughts on the matter. "Chop chop, Pepper. Crutches are right outside. They said dinner will arrive in about thirty to forty minutes."

She hops to the door and opens it to find him standing right outside - though he doesn't appear to be waiting for her as much as watching Tuck.

Her cat is sitting on the windowsill of her bedroom. watching the birds just outside as his tail swishes madly back and forth.

"Don't even think about it," Pepper says as she reaches for the crutches.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tony replies, perhaps a mite too defensively.

"I know that it had something to do with either tormenting Tuck or tormenting the birds with Tuck."

Tony looks a little insulted. "What? You're saying that I'm a bad guy for wanting to open the window and give him a decent chance of getting him what he wants?"

"No, but I'm in no shape right now to climb up and rescue him from out of a tree, which is _exactly_ what ended up happening the last time he got outside without a leash."

"Your genius cat can't get himself out of a tree?" Tony asks with a raised eyebrow and a half smile.

"Yes, well, he lacks the opposable thumbs needed to build himself a suit so that he can fly out of the tree," Pepper says as she starts her slow way out of the bedroom. "Besides," She calls over her shoulder, knowing both he and her pet were sure to follow. "He was only three months old at the time. And I'm quite sure that all _you_ could manage at that age was smiling and cooing."

"I think I'm being insulted," Tony murmurs to his feline companion before it bolts out the bedroom door.

Pepper makes her way not into the kitchen but into the living room, presumably because it will be easier to watch for the delivery from there. She no sooner sinks down into her leather armchair than she has a cat her feet meowing pathetically.

"Does someone need a cuddle?" she asks in a sweeter voice than Tony's ever had the privilege of hearing out of her as she reaches out and scratches directly behind Tuck's ears. Tucker purrs, doing his damndest, despite the awkward footing to butt his mistress with the top of his head. Pepper lifts him up and sets him carefully on her lap.

"You are _such_ a little suck up, Furr Face" Tony informs the cat with undisguised amusement. Neither Pepper or her pet even bother to disagree with the assessment.

They just continue on with their little love fest.

It has never occurred to Tony that he might _ever_ be jealous of a cat... But Pepper's obvious and easy affection makes it fairly easy to feel a little envious.

"You said he's six months old right?" He asks, for lack of anything better to say.

Pepper shrugs. "Five and a half to six months. That's the best the veterinarian could tell me when I first brought him in."

He wrinkles his brow. "Didn't they have records of his birthday, wherever you bought him?"

Pepper doesn't look up nor stop petting Tuck: her voice is carefully neutral. "Tony he wasn't purchased, he was _saved_. I 'got' him after I saw some bastard throw him him and his litter mates out of a moving vehicle at sixty miles an hour."

Pepper's doting is starting to make a little more sense. "I hope you got the guy's license plate number," he says as he takes a seat on the arm of Pepper's chair. If she notices his intrusion into her personal space she doesn't comment, instead she just shakes her head in regret.

"I wish that I had, but I was too busy swerving to try and avoid hitting them. By the time I pulled over to get them out of the road, whoever it was, was long gone." She winces. "I'm afraid neither of his sisters survived the impact. They were all really little at the time. The vet said three to four weeks at best."

Tony quickly does the math... Pepper had just said that the kitten is currently around six months old, and that he was only a few weeks old when Pepper got it. Tony's only been back for...

Suddenly her affection for the cat makes not more sense, but complete sense.

"This happened while I was in Afghanistan." It's not really a question.

She nods. "The veterinarian told me not to expect too much - that he was really weak and probably wouldn't survive... but Tuck here was stubborn, and at the time, I had a lot of free time on my hands." She laughs a little bit. "Still, you have no idea how glad I was when he got old enough to eat wet food as well as bottle feed. before that I was getting woken up every three to four hours..."

"Geeze, Pepper. Here I was, thinking that you'd at least gotten a small break from someone needing your attention constantly..." Tony carefully reaches out and tucks a lock of stay hair behind her ear, before gently scratching along the cat's back.

Pepper's smile is wry, but her expression is affectionate. She shivers, just the tiniest bit, at the contact with his hand."I didn't begrudge him. To be honest he's probably a large part of how I stayed sane. Besides," She smirks, "At least when Tuck misbehaves, I get to smack him on the nose."

"What makes you think I wouldn't let you smack me under the right circumstances, Pepper?" Tony murmurs evilly.

"Don't tempt me," she murmurs under her breath. "You'd probably enjoy it too much."

He knows in a heartbeat she hadn't meant to vocalize the thought, judging by the furious blush that follows. "Maybe...but then, maybe I would have done something to deserve it." Tony reluctantly withdraws his hand.

"What, no claims that you've been 'naughty,' Stark?" Pepper challenges as she stares down at the cat in her lap.

"Give me credit for a little more originality that that, Potts. Some lines are just _too_ easy..."

She nods one more time, hating the heat she can feel in her face. "This is just weird.." she mutters under her breath.

"What? Me flirting? I flirt with you all the time, Pepper." Tony stands and rolls his head on his neck. One or two pops are clearly audible.

"No. Me blushing like this at the drop of a hat. I never used to."

Because she doesn't, not most of the time anyway. Unexpected dances at Galas aside, Tony Stark mostly managed to break her of any true sheepishness less than a week into their working relationship.

"Really? I kind of like it." He tucks his finger under her chin and tilts her face up towards him. "You can tell me if it's too much, Pepper. That's not an offer that's only good in bed."

She turns even redder at his words, feeling almost surprised that she hasn't broken her actual blushing mechanism. "No...you're right this is no worse then before. I think...I'll probably just need some time to sort of adjust."

It's just that now she knows quite well that he can back the outrageous attitude up.

He resists the urge to blurt, 'That's what all the ladies say,' and instead pulls his hand back. "Just remember that you've got the privilege of telling me to knock it off if it's overwhelming you, Pepper. Though, that should be just as new to you as the flirting." He winks.

She smiles a little bit. "On the subject of...earlier. Thank you, and I'm sorry that I fell asleep before...well before I could reciprocate."

Tony makes a face, a squinty, half-embarrassed grimace that she's seen before. Usually right before he confesses to something she doesn't want to hear.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, much less for not 'reciprocating.' I had never actually intended to let things go that far. At least no yet."

She snorts a little, "I was a little...tightly wound, Tony, you can hardly be blamed for that."

"No, _you_ did exactly what I'd intended," Tony says without an ounce of shame. "But it was also my intention to keep the focus on you, Pepper. Not on me."

She raises an eyebrow. "And that precludes you enjoying what comes naturally?" She shakes her head... "Tony, I didn't expect that paying for sex meant that Brian that wouldn't get turned on, that's simple biology." She pauses. "I'm also not so cruel that I expected him to stop if I finished before he did when he was inside me."

He rubs his hand over his mouth, then scratches at his chin. "Pepper, don't take this the wrong way, but I can resist temptation if I decide something else is more important."

Pepper thinks about that a moment, then starts worrying her lower lip. "Tony...look the main reason I consented to this idea of yours is because I assumed you'd be getting some pleasure out of it as well. I'd rather go without or..." She chews her lip, "hire someone else if you're holding yourself to some kind of impossible moral standard."

He has to fight against the instinctive wave of possessiveness the suggestion causes, 'No way in _hell_.' Still he manages to mostly keep his voice level.

"Okay, first off? No hiring people you don't know. I'd think by now you'd understand that it's unnecessarily risky." He crouches down in front of her. "And I did qualify myself with a 'yet' in there somewhere. I'm giving you a week, Pepper. A week to focus on yourself, to heal, to rest...to make sure this is really what you want. After that, if you'll let me, I fully intend to make love you completely. Understood?"

'And if I change my mind at the end of that week, what then? We just pretend nothinghas happened?' Pepper doesn't voice the thought, but she does wonder for a moment if he really thinks that penetration is some kind of magical line from which they actually regain their previous distance.

Tony gently moves the cat out of Pepper's lap, and pushes her knees apart so that he can move between them. "Now, as for your assumption that I merely serviced you and got nothing out of it..." Pepper's breathing grows shallow as Tony comes face to face with her. "Well, I won't blame you if you were preoccupied at the time." His lips drift feather-light over her jaw. "But I was definitely enjoying myself."

Pepper's a little bit shocked by sudden rush of heat his actions cause in her body. He's barely touching her, and frankly she _should not _be this needy so soon.

"In case you're wondering," he nips at her earlobe and then blows on it. "I'm also enjoying myself right now."

'Great,' she thinks a little wryly. 'I'm involved with a masochist.' It doesn't stop her from leaning forward, hungry for more of his touch.

He touches his mouth to hers repeatedly, teasing them both with light brushes of his lips and gentle nips before he slowly let the kisses become more focused. Not necessarily more passionate, but there's definitely an intent behind them.

She sighs in relief as the pressure between them increases, lips parting slightly as she unconsciously wiggles in closer.

His hands land on her waist before slowly sliding down to her hips. Tony carefully pins her back against the chair, pulling her forward a little so that more of his body presses into hers.

"Oh God..." she murmurs against his lips after a moment. "It's been less than a _day_, what in hell is going _on_ with me?"

"What do you mean?" His voice sounds distracted as his hands slide up her ribcage.

"I needed Brian maybe once every six weeks. It's been less than eight _hours_...this is not how I operate..."

"Mm... That may be, but we're playing by my rules now, Potts. We're taking care of things early, not waiting until you're literally ready to explode." He returns to her mouth and stops any other references to Brian she might make by slipping his tongue between her lips.

'Explode?' She's never really thought of it that way. Her instinct is to protest the idea. Strongly. His tongue derails any retort as it forcefully clashes with her own though, so she lets the chance to comment pass.

Meanwhile Tony shifts, pinning more of her body with the weight of his as his hands come up to cup the sides of her face. She can hear his rough breathing loud in her ears as he draws a moan from deep in her chest.

"Touch me," she finally manages, tugging at the back of his shirt in an almost desperate search for skin. Her hands on his back cause him to growl even as she sighs in relief when his arms slide around her. But soon after his kisses turn pacifying, to her dismay.

"Dinner," he finally says firmly, pulling back. "We can handle the subject of dessert afterwards."

"But -" He cuts her off with another soft kiss.

"You need to eat," he tells her softly when he pulls away. "I should have gotten you to eat lunch, but I didn't. So you're going to eat dinner, and then if the police haven't arrived by then, we're going to drop that brick and your key off at the station house. I want you home and in bed early tonight."

The words make her shiver, though she doubts he intended any double meaning. Though the man's insane if he thinks she's going to be able to sleep.

She draws in a couple shaky breath and nods then. "All right."

Letting him draw back is almost physically painful, but she knows this look on Tony's face. He's not going to budge. And in the meantime, well, she's packed everything she'll need for the next day or two. But she hasn't even packed the food for her cat.

It'll keep her mind occupied at least until the food can arrive.

6969696969696969

He's in trouble.

Serious, temptation laden, spine melting trouble.

He's seen self proclaimed nymphomaniacs less hungry for sex right now then the woman in front of him. And _god... _She says she's only called this Brian every six weeks or so? As Tony glances over at her as they wait for the last stoplight before his house to turn green, he thinks that what she probably really needs a good six weeks of getting laid every day before she's good to go a week or two without. How in the hell had he not known this about her? For that matter, how had she not known this about _herself_?

'Misdirection.' Something inside him supplies. 'She's gotten very good at showing you only what she wants you to see. To the point she's probably skewed her own ability to see some things.'

And now... Well it's hard, the line they walk. Balancing between friendship and their employer/employee relationship. There were questions friends could ask that as her employer he couldn't until now... In some cases legally.

Not that he had usually been stopped by that before, and usually any time that she really cared she didn't answer. It was her indication he was pushing too far.

But he's tried to stay out of this part of her life out of respect.

How ironic then, what the real problem turns out to be. Sometimes she's too good of an employee, hiding things that she shouldn't. Things that have to do with her mental health and physical safety. Some people claim he demands too much out of her, but that isn't half as much as she seems to demand of herself.

He hopes he can eventually make her aware of that fact, because her unawareness of it right now has left them both with some pretty dangerous blind spots.

"So how did things go with the police?" He asks more for distraction from the thought than from genuine curiosity.

"They want me to meet with a sketch artist."

He blinks. "You saw your shooter?"

She shakes her head. "They need a picture of Brian. It turns out Weber must be an alias. He's not listed in the DMV database under that name."

Her hand is tensing on the passenger door, he can't tell if she's agitated or just frustrated. They make it to the outskirts of town and Tony down shifts and starts driving faster.

Pepper is silent for several seconds before she speaks. "I don't think I'm going to be particularly helpful you know, helping come up with an accurate representation of Brian." Her voice is dry, "After all as far as the police know most of the time I was in his presence, I was face down while he worked on my back."

Tony doesn't say anything for several moments. "Pepper...are you sure that's the best idea?" For a woman already a little convinced she's going to jail for paying for sex, she seems eager to become a full-fledged felon. "The police aren't idiots and the last time I checked, hindering an investigation was frowned upon."

She sighs. "Like I said Tony, this is not something I wanted the police to be involved with. "Besides, if Brian really felt he needed a false identify to keep himself safe given his job, then who am I to deliberately betray his cover?"

It would almost sound logical, if he didn't know she was reacting out of emotion, "Pepper, if you're getting paid for sex, then having a false name is right up there with only accepting cash and not keeping records. It's just part of the game."

She sighs. "Fine. Then what do _you _suggest I do, then? I want to make sure he's not _dead_, not help send him to jail."

She starts drumming the passenger side door with her fingertips.

"And I don't want to stand by and watch you help send yourself to jail," he shoots back. With his money and reputation, it probably wouldn't come to that, but no reason not to be careful. "Look, will you please just cooperate with the police, if slowly? I'll hire someone to find this Brian in the meantime, and hopefully we'll get to him first. If need be I'll even help him get out of town."

She looks over at him in disbelief. "You're not hiring _anyone_ to look into this, Stark. I agreed to let you help _me_ look for him, not somebody else."

"We have discrete PI's, Pepper. You already know that." He looks at her in disbelief. "I'm trying to keep you out of trouble here. You've already been shot at. I for one don't want to risk that happening again."

She actually looks a little belligerent, "Tony if this were _your_ friend that could be in danger would you be content to sit around on your ass?"

His hands tighten around the steering wheel and he instinctively starts driving even faster, accelerating through the turns that lead to his house. "Pepper I'm _your _friend and your life_ is _in danger too, remember? All I'm asking you to do is sit back and let me look into this. No one is going to shoot at me because unlike you, I have no connection to this guy."

"Tony-"

He interrupts her, voice rising in frustration, "Pepper, earlier today the police only told me you'd been shot, they didn't say where or how bad. So _don't_ tell me I don't know what it's like being in your position."

She falls silent. If there is any man more cognizant of what guns were capable of than Tony, she'd be hard pressed to name him. Still, she has a point too.

Her voice is a little gentler when she speaks though, "Tony, if you were in trouble and a stranger came looking for you, what would you do?"

He sighs very heavily. "Unless they looked as harmless as my great-aunt Etta did, probably run until I was sure they weren't the person out to hurt me."

She snorts. "Tony, I've seen your family tree at least ten times. Great-aunt Etta doesn't exist."

He looks at her. "Figure of speech, Pepper. You know what I meant."

She sighs. "Tony I get that you're concerned. Do you get why I feel like I'm…betraying him somehow if I don't do this myself...? This is personal, you _know_ that, I have to handle this or I won't be able to face myself if the worst turns out to be true."

"I'm not saying you can't be involved, Pepper. Hell, if we can even track the guy down you can take Happy and go get him. I'm just asking you to look after yourself and let us do the ground work. Besides," he says after a moment of silence, "Look at this from _Brian's_ perspective for a moment; assuming the friendship is mutual ...would you want your friend to risk their lives when they didn't absolutely have to because of you?"

Pepper opens her mouth, then closes it. Then she sighs deeply. "You fight really dirty, you know that?"

'Fucking right,' he grumbles to himself. The woman is certifiably _insane._

He swears that all of this stress has deep fried her _brains_.

'Down boy. Like you're any more uninvolved. You're in love with _and_ sleeping with the woman. It's not exactly like you're completely objective.' "Look. Right now my first concern is to get you home and into a bed. After you've had a good night's sleep we can have a more rational discussion about this and come up with a plan of action we can both hopefully agree on."

She nods, resisting the urge to snort aloud. Her mind is like a hamster on a wheel right now. Tony's a lunatic if he thinks she's going to be able to sleep.

But with some luck she can get some work done from the terminal in the guest room.

"All right then, peace treaty for now. I assume that when we get back to your house I'll be staying where I always do when I spend the night?" There have been times...usually durng hurricane season, that she's actually slept over at the mansion before. "Oh, and you better warn me now where Tucker is and isn't allowed."

"I'm going to say he should probably stay out of the garage," Tony says, relieved to be moving on. He deliberately doesn't answer the question about where she'll be sleeping, at least for the moment. "Other than that...well, it's not as if I have carpets. If any messes are made because he forgets where the litter box is, they'll be easy enough to clean up."

Pepper chuckles. "That shouldn't be a problem. I told you, Tony: he's been trained to use a toilet. We just need to make sure he knows where to find one. He'll love exploring the house at first yeah, but he's also used to being with people, which means he'll probably end up sleeping on the bed with me tonight."

"Right." Tony takes the final turnoff for his house. Seeing the mansion up ahead is a giant relief. He just... He doesn't know what to do with himself at the moment. Or more precisely doesn't know what to do with _her._

Pepper obviously needs some more sleep. She's cranky, and stubborn, and visibly stressed out... He groans silently as he takes the ramp down to the garage. Stressed out. Right. He's suspicious that what Pepper's labeling stress is actually a mixture of moderate amounts of tension and large amounts of sexual frustration.

He knows from personal experience that for some people libido is just the natural mechanism for tension to work itself out. It also makes him wonder, anew, if in the last few months he's been misinterpreting the true function of her retreative behavior...

He'd thought she was just busy, now he has to wonder if she's been subconsciously avoiding the urge to jump him.

They pull into a parking spot and he grabs her hand as she reaches for the door latch. "Hey - give me a minute to be a gentleman. I'll come around and give you a hand."

She raises an eyebrow, but then nods her head. "I'll get Tuck if you'll get the laundry."

He nods in agreement. "I'm going to leave most of it downstairs. Are you content to sleep in what you're wearing until tomorrow morning?"

She nods. "This will be fine. I'm headed up to the main room to let Tucker out of his cage, and then I'll probably just wash up and head to bed."

Tony slides out of the driver's seat and goes around to the other side, retrieving her crutches and bringing them around to her side of the car.

"Sleep wherever you like." He informs her when he finally pulls her door open. "Wherever you and the Fuzzy Butt will be most comfortable."

He doesn't bother to admit he'll be up to tuck her in himself either way.


	11. Chapter 10

Ninety minutes later both Tony and Pepper are upstairs - though neither is asleep

Ninety minutes later both Tony and Pepper are upstairs - though neither is asleep. Instead Pepper is shut up inside her bedroom. True to her word once she'd reached the main floor, she'd let Tucker out of his carrier.

After putting out a bowl of water and opening a fresh can of cat food, she'd gone through a short bedtime toilet before climbing into bed. She wasn't working exactly, just reading her way through a stack of business related magazines.

It's how Tony finds her when he comes carrying a bottle of water and a couple extra blankets.

"Trying to bore yourself to sleep, Potts?" He sets the bottle of water down by her bed and drapes the blankets at the end of her bed. She doesn't really need them - at the first sign that she's chilly Jarvis has been instructed to activate the heating system until she's warmed again, but it's a believable excuse for him to see her.

She snorts a little in reply, not raising her eyes. "One person's torment Tony, is another person's actual enjoyment."

He tilts his head. "You're claiming you enjoy reading about the global market impact caused by biotech innovations?"

"You do, why should I be any different?" she mutters under her breath.

Out of courtesy Tony pretends he doesn't hear her, though in truth she's right. It's exactly the kind of thing he likes to keep up to date on, though most articles on the subject are a little light on mechanical details, sadly.

"I thought you were going to crash." his voice is neutral.

"I tried. Not having much luck getting to sleep."

"I could get you some Tylenol PM," he offers helpfully, though his eyes are deadly serious.

She shakes her head slightly, "Thanks, but I've tried that kind of thing before - it's not going to help. I do have a prescription back at home but I'm saving the rest of this month's allowed Ambien for when I'm really, really desperate."

"Why's that?" He takes a seat on the bed at her feet. His hand rests on her ankle; he'd give her a foot massage if it wouldn't be so much of a hassle to get to her feet under the blankets.

She shrugs. "A couple of reasons, the two most obvious being I've already used more of it up than I should this early in the month and when I do take it, I tend to walk in my sleep."

"Ahh... I thought sleepwalkers were at least somewhat aware of their surroundings." His thumb starts rubbing back and forth on her ankle, unbidden.

"I thought so too. Until I set my kitchen on fire and the smoke detector woke me up.." She shrugs. "Now I make sure to screw shut the valve on the gas stove before I go to sleep any time I need to take it."

Tony looks at her, then at the door to the bedroom. "I see..." She can almost seem him mentally tabulating the number of threats that lie just outside the doorframe.

Her look is patient. "Relax, Stark. I _only _sleepwalk when I take the drug. Otherwise there's no reason to worry."

"Right." He shakes his head, trying to regain his wits. "Are you sure I can't persuade you to take something less potent? Nyquil? A glass of sherry? There's got to be a better way to help you sleep than those magazines."

Tony certainly knows what way he'd choose to help her sleep, but he's had his hands all over her all day long, and while she always enjoys it at the time, he's afraid of pressing her too far.

She shrugs a little. "I really prefer to avoid anything chemical. Normally when I'm this wound up I just work a few more hours or run over to the local beach for what I suppose is technically an illegal midnight swim."

"I've got a private beach," he deadpans. "Don't let the fact that you didn't bring a swimsuit inconvenience you."

She rolls her eyes. "I don't wear a swim suit most nights either. Just the running pants and t-shirt that I'm wearing. Unfortunately I've got an open wound and I'm not thinking dirty ocean water is particularly sanitary."

"I've got a pool, Potts, that should be safe enough. And really, if you feel the urge to go skinny dipping -"

She groans. "You are such a..."

"..Letch. I know," he says before she can finish the statement, grinning gainfully. "It's still a good idea, Pepper, especially if it actually gets you to sleep."

"Do you really think it will help?" she mutters thoughtfully.

Tony stands up and offers a hand. "Will it hurt? Let's find out, shall we?"

She raises an eyebrow. "What is this _we_?"

He raises an eyebrow. "As you said, you have stitches. You need someone there to spot you to be on the safe side."

Pepper looks unconvinced. "And Jarvis can't handle that task?"

"Jarvis can't pick you up if you slip on wet tile," Tony points out very reasonably. "You're not actually shy about me seeing you in a wet t-shirt, are you, Pepper?" He tilts his head. "Hell, if it makes you feel better I can probably even come up with a clean bathing suit."

She opens her mouth in objection. "Tony, I'm _not _wearing some other woman's castoffs. Besides how do you know what's been left behind would even fit me?"

"Alright. Offer rescinded." He holds out his hand again. "Are you coming? Because if you don't want to, I can think of a few other ways to help you relax."

She flushes scarlet at the suggestion, though she also looks tempted.. "My stuff is all still in the bags of dirty laundry in the basement. I'm going to need my crutches again."

He shakes his head. "No need. I can get anything you want for you. There's no point in unnecessarily upsetting your leg being on it more than you have to."

She looks like she wants to argue, but then sighs in defeat. "Fine. Just get me a dark t-shirt please, and then a pair of drawstring cotton workout shorts. Nothing too tight, as I doubt my thigh could handle it."

"Gotcha." He bends down and presses a chaste kiss to her forehead. "Back in a flash."

Tony heads for the basement, finds the clothing she's specified, but then wrinkles his nose at the sour smell of sweat as he pulls it out of the bag. Dropping them back on the cement floor, he heads upstairs and into his own closet. Digging out a dark t-shirt of his own and a pair of blue shorts from the shelf. He takes both items and head back to where she's waiting.

"Your stuff was pretty raunchy - I assume wearing my stuff is all right. And before you get your dander up about cast-offs again, I have so many of this type of clothing that I'm not even sure I've ever worn either of these."

"If it's not stained with oil then you probably haven't." She accepts the clothes but doesn't get out of bed.

He bites back a sigh and nods, turning to leave. "I'll change and meet you down in the pool room."

He heads towards his bedroom again, reminding himself the whole way that he's trying not to press her. They're in his home now, at his invitation and promise to take care of her. It changes the rules from where they were this afternoon when they'd been in her apartment.

'She's always been very private Stark, and just a little bit shy. It's just her business persona usually mostly subsumes it.' The fact that she's currently more skittish than her cat is something that's only going to change with patience and time.

It's just...he wants more of her. He wants to be around her all the time, and that's not what she signed up for or what he promised her. If he's going to have any chance of getting her to relax again, he's going to have to start slow. Which is why he's agreeing to this little field trip to the pool. Anything that gives him a valid reason to touch her has to be a good thing.

Besides, the way he figures it, he's probably wisest to date her awhile before she actually _realizes_ that they're dating. That means sticking to light teasing and a lot of subtle foundation building. She needs to get comfortable with him just being around..

Besides, he admits a little wryly, it's not like he really objects to a swim.

It doesn't take long to change, and then he's headed back towards Pepper's room. She'll probably insist on taking her crutches down with her, but once she's all wet he can probably make a valid argument that she can't use them to get _back_ to her room. Which means he'll get to carry her.

His steps slow as he realizes this is one of the highlights of his day...well, other than every other time she's been in his arms already. Still, it's a far cry from when bringing a woman home was what he did on a Friday night to keep from being bored.

'How the mighty have fallen.' "Jarvis do me a favor, increase the temperature in the pool to a little lower than that in inside hot tubs." It's chilly in the house and the heat will only help uncramp her muscles and hopefully push her toward sleep.

And she needs sleep right now, probably more desperately than she needs anything else.

Pepper's dressed in the clothing he brought, hair pulled back in a braid she's holding in her hand. "Mind grabbing me a rubber band from my office or something...this mop will be a nightmare to deal with tomorrow if don't pull it back before I get it wet."

Tony's a little stunned that Pepper's actually voluntarily asked him to do something, so it takes him a minute to answer. "Yeah, sure. Just a minute."

He returns less than a minute later with a simple nude colored latex band. "I'm a little surprised you don't have something better than this in your bag," he admits. "But for now at least this should do the trick."

"Thank you." She twists the band around the tail of her hair with a female dexterity that never fails to amaze him, then reaches carefully for her crutches.

A little bit of a smile takes a hold of her lips as she stands. "For the record, Tony, I normally do have a overabundance of stretchys hair binders. But then several months ago I managed to adopt a little hair-tie stealing thief. I swear, they and those stupid little rings from the milk carton are his favorite toys in the whole world."

"Where is the little suck up?" Tony asks curiously, realizing for the first time that he hasn't seen Tucker since they got here.

"Probably still exploring the house. And stop calling him that."

"He is," Tony says, holding the door open for her. "Are you sure you want to take your crutches down -"

"Yes. And he's a cat Tony, it's not like he's trying to get anything out of me, he's just being affectionate."

That earns her a snort. "He's a male. 'Nuff said."

"Yeah well he's only gonna be male for about another four weeks."

"What?" Tony asks in shock, before he catches on to what she's talking about.

"He's still a little small for his age - probably because he had such a rough start, but as soon as he puts on just a little more weight it's going to be time to get him neutered. Just as soon as the vet gives the okay."

"Ouch. Geeze, Pepper." Tony looks around and spots a black and white ball of fur shadowing them in leaps and bounds as the cat is distracted by various things in the hall. "He can hear you, you know."

"So what? I guarantee he doesn't know what it means."

"You're really gonna clip off the family jewels of a feline with his apparent intelligence?"

She blinks in disbelief. "Tony Stark! Did you just say something _nice _about my pet?!"

"You're talking about cutting off his testes. I'd defend any guy against that kind of assault." Tony glances over his shoulder again. "Though, he is a male. He'd probably still adore you afterwards."

There's something in his tone that makes Pepper come to a stop as she starts laughing out loud. "You _like_ him, Stark. Admit it. You're starting to like my cat."

The bell-tone laughter is the sweetest thing he's ever heard so Tony just smiles, and doesn't say what he's thinking. That there's very little that a man won't forgive the woman he adores. And speaking as someone who's gotten a dressing down or two from Pepper that'd left him feeling the teensiest bit emasculated, he considers himself pretty damn close to an authority on the subject.

"I guess I'm just pointing out that there'd be no harm in breeding him."

Pepper stops in the hallways, staring in clear disbelief. "Tony he's the cat equivalent of a _mutt_...no self respecting breeding kennel would want him anywhere near their precious bloodlines."

"He's unusually intelligent, you said so yourself. I'd think that gives him more reason to keep his balls then some uppidity ball of cotton with a half squished in face."

She snorts and starts moving again, "I can't believe you're trying to pimp for my cat."

"I'm just saying it's something you might want to think about, before you make an irreversible decision.".

The indoors pool room is dimly lit, though not so little that it's impossible to see. The pool lights and small hanging wall lanterns cast everything in a strange almost ethereal glow. It is actually kind of pretty.

Tony can't remember the last time he last took a late night swim like this.

'It's not the same when you're here alone.' A big house had its uses but it also tended to feel empty. Toys lost their pleasure when there was no one to share them with.

"Wow...it's really nice... warm in comparison to the ocean." Pepper makes her way over to the edge of the water, cautiously sticking one toe in.

"I had Jarvis up the temperature a little higher than usual," he admits as she turns back to face him. "I know you tend to get cold, and I figured the heat might help relax you every bit as much as a vigorous swim."

"I'm not sure how much actual swimming I'm going to manage," Pepper admits, setting aside her crutches, then reluctantly taking the arm Tony offers her to help her over to the pool. "I'm not exactly very mobile at the moment."

Tony grins. "You can always sit on the steps and do the breast stroke right side up for a little bit."

She nods. "It's worth a try...anything is. Especially if it tires me out enough to actually sleep." Her expression is wry, but not particularly apologetic. "I'm not making any promises this will actually solve the problem, though - lately I'm just a poster child insomniac."

"Well, if this doesn't work, we'll just move onto plan B." They take the stairs into the pool slowly, and as soon as Tony's convinced that Pepper's steady on her feet, he pushes off, putting a few feet of water between them before he submerges. When he comes back up, he shakes his head, splattering her with water.

She snorts, "Anthony Stark! Are you a person or Lassie!"

"Arf." He grins, before diving back under, this time cutting a lithe path to the stairs that are now behind her. "I'm gonna swim a few laps, give you some time to yourself. If you're starting to drown, cry out of something. I used to be lifeguard certified, you know."

"Honestly?" She doesn't sound the least bit convinced.

"High school" He explains with a shrug. "I had to take a some kind of course for the physical education credits required to graduate early, and my mom said it made sense since I spent so much time down on the beach anyway. I'm rusty yeah, but you never completely forget.."

Pepper makes a face, but doesn't say anything else. He watches her for another minute before submerging again and setting off for the opposite end of the pool.

Twenty five minutes later, his muscles are heavy from the effort of intense swimming, and though he's not ready for sleep at least he's a little less strung out. He's not sure if the same thing will prove true when he goes back to Pepper. Before he can cut across the pool to the steps where she's been lingering though, she pushes out from the side wall, heading out to the center of the pool where the water is deeper.

He frowns and heads in that direction himself. "Hey -" He catches up with her around the six foot mark. "What's up?"

"Gonna try treading water," she admits after a moment. "I can do it with my arms and my good leg. It'll take some actual exertion, hopefully..."

Tony's less convinced, because the heat of the last few minutes have taken a definitely toll on her features. He wonders if she has any idea how dark the bags are becoming beneath her eyes.

"Alright..." He pushes himself back far enough to give her room but not so far back that he won't be there in an instant if she needs him. It's not like she's actually going to drown well he's right here.

It doesn't make it any easier for him to watch.

The five minutes that follow are uncomfortably close to a nightmare for him. Pepper pushes herself - he can see it by the lines on her forehead. The first time she goes under he forces himself to stay back, even though she comes up coughing, because she gasps out, 'I'm fine.'

It's an obvious lie though, and the second time proves to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"Okay, we're done," he says in a voice that brooks no argument as he comes up behind her and hooks a forearm under her armpit. "Even if you're not sleepy yet, it's clear you're exhausted. This swim has accomplished as much as it's going to."

"Maybe you should just grab a pipe from downstairs, you know - hit me over the head." Her voice is hoarse but teasing. "It would probably do the trick."

"If I hit you somewhere it's going to be on your ass for pushing yourself too hard," he grumbles under his breath as he reaches water shallow enough to stand up in. He's unprepared for the way sheshivers as her nipples pucker in reaction.

"Something you want to tell me Potts?" he jokes, swinging her around in the water enough to actually pick her up.

She shakes her head in the negative, "I'm feeling awkward enough already without us discussing my kinks. Stupid I guess, considering."

"You're not stupid. You've had a long day." He's very careful as they leave the pool and heads towards the cabinets on one wall. He hopes that there are towels down here. Walking down marble floors, barefoot and dripping wet while carrying Pepper doesn't seem like the safest option.

Pepper thankfully makes no effort to do anything more than lay still. "Some things I guess are just in the eye of the beholder. And if there are any towels down here Tony, they're probably covered with dust. You don't have regular housekeeping anymore and you haven't used this place since you got back."

"Fine," he mutters under his breath, pivoting and heading for the hall back upstairs. It's not as if he cares about getting the floor wet; he has no carpets to drip on.

"Don't blame me if I slip and drop you though," Tony warns her, taking the most direct route to the nearest elevator. He could carry her up the stairs, but he's serious about not taking any risks.

"God," she murmurs into his chest. "Are you sure I can't convince you to clock me upside the head? Because right now it may be the only option left to make my brain actually shut down awhile. I swear, the hamster on the wheel is now on crack."

Tony sighs and pulls her closer. "There's still plan B," he reminds her as they step inside the elevator.

"If it gets me to fall asleep Tony, you can do anything except drug me...up to and including painting me bright blue."

"You're got a smurf fetish?" he teases gently. "You're just full of surprises today, Potts."

She groans. "Sure, make full of a girl just because she's sleep deprived."

"Well, that's certainly the easiest time to tease you." Tony brushes his lips across the top of her head and carries her through her room into her bathroom. He carefully sets her down and hands her a towel. "Dry off and go stretch out on your bed. I'm going to go get dry myself, and then I'll be back." Pepper raises an eyebrow but otherwise does as he asks, he takes it as a sign how mentally exhausted she really is.

Tired enough he's betting, not to argue when he comes back and gives her a backrub.

oo00oo00oo00

He heads for his own bedroom then, quickly toweling off and slipping on a pair of loose sleep stretch pants before heading back down to where she's supposed to be waiting. Pepper's sitting on the edge of her bed, towel wrapped around her middle. She got a t-shirt lying beside her, though if he face is any indication she lacks either the energy or motivation to put it on.

"Well...good enough for now." He smiles and brushes a finger against her cheek. "Here, slide under the covers."

"Tony -" Pepper protests even as she does as he tells her to, awkwardly losing the towel in the process.

"No, just listen. Roll onto your stomach." He can see the wheels turning in her head, even as she obeys him. The sheets he'd meant her to use as covers bunch up awkwardly around the lower half of her body, caught in her self conscious effort not to flash him with too much skin.

"Here..." He pulls the sheets loose from where they're trapped around her and settles them right around her hips before he climbs onto the bed and straddles her upper thighs.

Any protest she might have made is swallowed up by the low pitch moan that slides from her throat as his thumbs dig in hard to her tense lower back.

"Sorry, but the only massage oils I have are just filthy things, and I wasn't sure if you were up for being rubbed with vanilla sugar flavored oil." And honestly, he doesn't really want to use them on her. Well, he does, but only when she's picked out the ones she likes.

"It's okay." She manages to finally answer. "Feels great, even if you should probably stop."

He raises an eyebrow at that apparent double negative. "You're claiming you're not enjoying this?"

"I told you," she murmurs, shifting under him uncomfortably. "This is how...it...usually started."

"You told me that every six weeks or so, a massage was a prelude to sex," Tony says bluntly, just so she'll get used to hearing it. It's not as if she has to beat around the bush with him. "And you also said that you got a massage every two weeks or so. So it's not like this has to lead anywhere."

"Tony, once every six weeks on top of the massages was all I could afford. A fact that apparently did a lot to squash my libido, whether I was aware of it or not."

"Pepper, either you're lying to yourself about being able to afford sex, or this Brian guy was vastly overcharging you." Tony pauses then adds, "Or you're spending too much on high heels. Now will you just try to relax. I think we've established by now that I don't find the idea of sex with you repellant. If that's where this ends up, it's fine. Stop worrying."

She moans again as his hands move higher, but otherwise relents. "I have two mortgages and a bunch of old school loans to pay Tony. And I have always tipped well." She pauses a moment. "I do _not_ spend too much on shoes. I can't believe you even said that."

Right. Like he's not completely aware that she rewards herself nine times out of ten with a new pair of four inch pumps.

"Whatever you say, Potts." He wonders about the two mortgages and the school loans - Pepper's annual paycheck is well into the six digits - but he doesn't ask about it now. She's distracted enough as it is.

"It's time for you to stop talking. Understood?" He underscores his words by putting a little more force into his massage.

"Sir, yes Sir." She mutters a little sarcastically, before she all but melts down into the mattress

Tony stifles a groan as she manages to arouse him with those three words and turns his full attention to his work on her back.

Her musculature is sleek...he's seen it before and so it's not entirely surprising. Still, seeing as they say is a totally different universe than touching. He wishes to God that he knew what she uses to end up with such luminous skin. If it's something that her friend uses on her, he's going to have to track the man down for the sole purpose of getting a brand name from him. This is one of her features that definitely needs to be preserved at whatever cost.

Of course that's assuming he doesn't want to kill the man by the time that they find him.

Tony's not so stupid as to assume that's not a distinct possibility. Because quite frankly, he's a protective, possessive bastard sometimes. His brain may know that Brian Weber isn't and never will be any real competition, but it doesn't make his Id less inclined to hate him.

The truth is the other man is a convenient target for what amounts to a large amount of carefully repressed frustration.

He hates knowing he's seen and touch Pepper. Hates he's been the one who she's gone to for any level of comfort. He especially hates it every time Pepper brings him up, as if prior her prior experience with the other man limits him to a set course of actions now. He doesn't want to be the guy she comes to for nice but more or less impersonal sex. He's had that. It's not enough for him anymore, and he doubts it's ever been enough for her. He wants to be the guy she comes home to, the guy she trusts enough to attempt anything at least once.

Brian certainly hadn't come close to making Pepper thrive, and he'd be damned if he'd be able to settle on anything less.

'No matter what she thinks, he was never really good for her.' If anything the man allowed her to limp by with just a little bit less than what could actually sustain. He just wishes he could better judge whether Pepper's realized that fact quite yet.

Either way it isn't going to change the fact that when they do locate him, if he's still alive, Tony intends to offer him a very nice 'writer's grant' in exchange for permanently leaving town.

Because the farther the man is from Pepper, the happier he's going to be.


	12. Chapter 11

She fell asleep halfway through the massage. Or at least, Tony had noticed that Pepper had fallen asleep by the time he was halfway through giving her a massage. It hadn't stopped him from finishing it; if his hands on her were comforting enough to help her fall asleep he didn't think continuing on would wake her up. And it hadn't, even after he'd pulled the covers back completely and massaged his way down her body all the way to her feet. When he'd covered her up again afterwards he'd taken a moment to brush her hair out of her face and just look at her.

There was no denying that Pepper Potts was a beautiful woman, but that beauty was often tempered by the force of her personality and the sheer amount of responsibility that rested on her shoulders. All of that had been gone though, wiped clean off her face leaving her looking peaceful and relaxed.

It had taken Tony twice as long to fall asleep once he'd managed to make it back to his own room. That's why, when Jarvis's voice wakes him up, it's most unwelcome.

"What?" Tony croaks as he rolls over onto his back and wipes the sleep out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry to wake you Sir, but I'm concerned about Ms Potts. Her heart rate and breathing are extremely elevated at the moment, and despite verbal prompting, she shows no sign of waking."

Tony curses, climbing out of his bed, yanking a robe on over the sleep pants in defense against the chill.

The stone floor is cold under foot as he pads down the hallway, the door to Pepper's bedroom is cracked open in precisely the way he left it. And Pepper...well Pepper's clearly having what looks like a horrible nightmare.

"Pepper?" he calls from the doorway. His voice is just a little lower than a normal conversational level, but he gets no response. "Jarvis, slowly increase the lighting to twenty percent," he orders as he steps into the room and quickly crosses to the bed. The woman in it is damp with sweat and tangled up in her sheets.

"Pepper." He says her name again, hoping to break through her growing agitation. Unfortunately not even his hand on her shoulder seems to be any help in waking her up. She's simply so exhausted she can't even wake from her own bad dreams.

Tony sits on the edge of the bed, takes Pepper's face between his hands and says, "Potts, wake up now." There's an edge to his voice. Not a mean one, or a bullying one, but a tone that conveys an expectation of obedience.

He's quietly relieved when her eyes immediately pop open.

"Tony...what...?" She blinks in obvious confusion, her entire body racked by what looks like uncontrollable shivering.

"You were having a nightmare," he murmurs softly as the hands bracketing her head turn caressing. "Do you feel alright?"

She shakes her head and speaks through chattering teeth. "Nnnnooo. I'm abbbbsolutely freeeeeezing."

Tony lets go of her and stands, stripping off his robe as he circles the bed. He can't help but notice how wide Pepper's eyes are as he lifts the blankets and climbs in next to her. "Just until you warm up," he tells her as he pulls her close and tucks the blankets in around her.

Any protest Pepper might have made is cut off by the sheer amount of heat his presence provides, she starts to uncurl from her fetal ball, sighing deeply as she sinks into the warmth generated by his body.

"God you're _so warm_. What...does your arc reactor leave you with a body temperature a few degrees higher than anyone else's or something?" The shivering is finally starting to abate and her eyes drift shut. Now that she's more aware she's noticing lots of things, like the thick coat of sweat that's covering the sheet and her body. 'Yuck.'

"Men in general have higher metabolisms than women, so we produce more body heat." His hands stroke up and down her back in long, soothing motions.

She nods then is silent for several moments before sighing. "Tony, these linens are soaked with sweat. I'm never going to be able to get back to sleep unless we change the sheets."

Tony sighs deeply, but doesn't stop stroking her back. "Too much work," he finally says, and he doesn't sound like he's kidding. "If you're feeling up to sleeping alone, just choose another bedroom for tonight and we'll change the sheets tomorrow."

She doubts she's going to be able to _get_ back to sleep - not with the adrenaline that's now in her system. However she doubts that Tony's going to like that admission, so she keeps it to herself.

"I need a shower," is the half-truth she finally chooses. "Or when I wake up later I'm not just going to stink, I'm going to _itch_."

"I can wait," is his answer.

"Tony, I can find another room when I'm through in the bathroom. Just go ahead and go back to bed."

"I'll wait." There's a firmness to his tone now, but also a touch of petulance that Pepper's more than familiar with. Tony can stay up for days in a row without much of a problem, but once he crashes, he gets cranky if woken too soon.

"Tony, for God's sake..."

"How long exactly have you been having these nightmares, Pepper?"

Her mouth shuts, and she turns her face away from him. It's easier to accept that he's cranky because he's tired than to think that he is worried about her. And answering his question probably won't help him stop either.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she murmurs as she starts withdraw.

His hand shoots out and gently wraps around her forearm. "How long?" he quietly but determinedly insistent.

He's not leaving or letting her leave before he gets an answer to his question.

She sighs, "Awhile okay? There's nothing anyone can do about them. They just tend to get more annoying when I'm already under stress." She looks down pointedly at the hand still gripping his arm. "Now unless you want me to drag you into the shower along with me, let go. Because I smell like shit and I'm _covered_ with sweat."

Awhile isn't really an acceptable answer, but it's past midnight and Tony doesn't want to argue with her. Though if she thinks that he's going to forget about this new bit of information, then she's completely mistaken.

"I'll wait," he says - hopefully for the last time - as he lets her go.

Pepper sighs, and decides it isn't worth arguing about any longer. With any luck Tony will just pass out on the bed while waiting for her to finish up in the bathroom. She makes mental note to spend a couple extra minutes under the spray.

She flips back the covers as she sits up and then gasps in pain when she stands, putting normal weight without thought directly on her injured leg.

Tony props himself up and gives her a sharply assessing look. "Stiff?"

"Forgot my crutches," she admits grudgingly. "I don't suppose you have a chair you don't mind me getting soaked in the shower? Because the only other option is imitating a flamingo."

"There's a stool down in the garage you can have." Tony yawns and pushes himself into a fully upright position. "Though now that I think about it, what you should probably do, Pep, is take one of your pain pills and soak in the hot tub for awhile. Hopefully that'll be enough to knock you back out."

She smiles a little wanly. "Oh yes...take a narcotic then climb into super hot water so I can fall asleep and drown. Well that or hit my head trying to get out before I fall asleep because the drugs will make me dizzy."

Tony's face grows dark, "After that little stunt in the pool you really think I'd let you drown?"

She groans. "Tony, it's two o'clock in morning. I already feel like shit for waking you up. I'll be fine, now go back to bed so we don't both spend tomorrow tired and cranky."

"We're both free to sleep as long as we need to tomorrow. Or today. Whatever." Tony decides it's time to stop arguing; he gets out of bed, scoops her up without pause, and carries her out of the room.

Pepper squeaks, whether or in anger or simple disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

"Nice thing about hot tubs, Pepper, generally speaking, there's room in them for more than one person. Which means you won't drown because I'll be there to keep an eye on you" The trip back to his bedroom is short. He sits her on his bed then goes into the bathroom to start running the water. "I'm going to go grab your meds, then I'll be back."

She snorts as he cuts back through the bedroom. "In case you've never been told this before, Stark, you're pretty damn bossy."

She doesn't sound angry exactly, more tired and amused. Like she's decided it will take more energy to fight him then to just go along.

He's right, a part of her grudgingly admits, the hot tub does sound good. Even if she's not particularly eager to take her medication.

He's back a couple of minutes later with a bottle of water in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. "Here," he offers her both. "I'm going to go check the water."

She drinks the liquid willingly but leaves the bottle at her side, choosing instead to half wrap herself in the spread from the bed until he returns, this time wearing only a soft looking pair of black boxers briefs.

She doesn't bother protesting this time when he picks her up.

The hot tub in Tony's bathroom isn't as large as some of the others in Tony's house. Probably, Pepper suspects, because he rarely brings anyone to the real master bedroom even when he's got company.

"How are we both going to..." She doesn't bother to finish asking the obvious question: there's no way they'll both fit in this tub without touching unless they lay at opposite ends and fold their legs, which she can't do in her current state of injury.

"Let me worry about details for once, Pepper. Did you take one of your pills?"

"If I do I that then I can't _wake up_ from the nightmares, Tony. Thanks but I really think I'll pass."

His nostrils flare and his mouth tightens a little, though she doesn't think he's mad at her. At the circumstances more than likely, but not at her, even if she is the one who got him tangled in them.

When his face relaxes again she's relieved, though a little concerned because he looks as tired as she feels. She wants to tell him that he doesn't have anything to prove to her, but doesn't know how without actually upsetting him.

"Do you dream every time you sleep?"

She shrugs. "Excluding the nap I took this afternoon, yeah pretty much."

His eyes narrow at that, "So you don't dream if you only sleep a few hours? Or you don't dream if someone's in the same bed with you?"

She stares at him a moment, unsure how to answer the question. She had woken up from naps with a racing heart rate on several occasions, but only alone.

She doesn't want to think about what that might mean.

"I-I don't' know."

He watches her for several long seconds before he shrugs. "Fair enough." He steps into the swirling water, with her still cradled in his arms. Then he sinks down on one end, shifting until she's sitting between his spread legs, her injured thigh straight out in front of her and her head resting back against his chest.

She lays there for several moments, trying to adjust to her new position. The water is pleasantly hot and Tony is steady and still behind her, but she's still reeling a little and can't help but feel that Tony's irritation is her fault.

"Tony?" she eventually murmurs. "I'm sor-"

"Don't." His voice rumbles in his chest; she can feel the vibrations against her back. "I'm not irritated with you, Pepper, so it's not necessary."

She makes a face. "You'd have every right to be mad at me if you were. I've made a pretty awful mess of things for both of us really."

His arms tighten around her. "You got in over your head. I'd be a horrible hypocrite to condemn you for it considering how often it's been a lifestyle for me."

She relaxes slightly and then nods her head, they lay their in silence for several moments before she shifts a little, "Do I need to move at all? I know I'm probably pretty heavy."

He snorts and wraps his arms around her waist to keep her where she is. "Pepper, heavy isn't a word I'd ever use to describe you. My suit is heavier than you are."

She's surprised when that admission causes her to actually giggle. "I'd hope so. I'm made of flesh, which is generally not as heavy as titanium."

His chest moves up and down at a steady pace behind her, and under the water his fingers start circling against her skin. It's a testament to the day she's had that she hadn't even noticed his hand where it's resting on her hip. She's noticing it now though, and damn it to hell, but her traitorous body is definitely responding.

She wonders how long it's going to take for her to adapt to their new situation and stop automatically having the almost autonomous rush of lust every time she lays eyes on him.

Probably awhile, she acknowledges, a little wryly. And probably not before he actually makes love to her for real in the fullest sense of the word. Yes, he's been giving her some pretty spectacular releases, but all that does is tease her with the possibility of how amazing it'll be to actually take him inside her.

Pepper shifts a little restlessly under his hand, wishing he'd either raise it or lower it. Behind her Tony grunts softly and his hand stills. "Sorry," he murmurs. "Didn't realize I was doing that."

Her voice is amused. "I'm all but sitting in your lap right now Tony. It's kind of hard to manage that without touching me."

"Mmm..." Once again Pepper's acutely aware of the way Tony's chest rumbles against her back. "There's touching and there's touching. I hope I didn't step over the line."

She shakes her head, "If I were upset I'd ask you to stop. Instinct tends to be a pretty powerful subconscious motivator. I'm not mad about it, so you don't need to worry."

And she's _not_ mad. Just little disappointed that he stopped, because now there's arousal swimming through her blood along with the adrenaline.

Pepper swallows hard and tries to calm down, but her efforts more or less fail from the start because Tony lowers his head. She stares straight ahead as he first brushes her hair off her neck and then nuzzles the delicate skin tenderly.

"Pepper...?" His voice is dropping into that husky register that had so captivated her earlier in the day. "I'm trying not to push you into anything because you're my guest now and I know that you're feeingl a little out of place. But if you need anything, anything at _all_, then know you are _always_ free to ask me."

The offer is made smoothly and implicitly. There's no way she can misunderstand it.

Still she finds herself unsure as to whether or not she should hold back. "Tony, I…you're _exhausted_."

It's bad enough that she's invaded his house, even worse that she's woken him up in the middle of the night.

Now to let him...to ask him for sex when he's made it abundantly clear that he won't even likely be coming himself?

It just makes her feel like the worst possible kind of guest.

"I can get the job done," he murmurs before kissing her neck softly. "I just wanted to let you know the offer's on the table, Amante. I'm not going to press anything on you that you don't want." One last kiss, and he shifts them both so that he can rest his cheek on the top of her head.

"'Wanting' isn't the problem right now, Tony." She surprises herself with the quiet admission. "If this were just about what I want…well we'd spend the next week or so in bed." She shakes her head a chuckles a little bitterly, "Sometimes what you _want_ isn't always fair, safe or good for you, though."

"You're concerned about this being either unfair, unsafe, or not good?" There's a little skepticism and a little amusement in his voice. "My pride takes exception to that last."

She finds herself snorting, but shrugs. "I guess I just don't like feeling like I'm taking advantage of you."

He chuckles softly. "Pepper, if you understood how much I love touching you, you might have a different view of whom is taking advantage of whom."

She colors, "It just feels wrong when you won't even..." She doesn't finish the sentence.

'There's no arguing he's enjoying the experience, Pepper, whether he comes or not. If he wasn't would he be volunteering another go-round instead of waiting until you asked again?' Maybe he genuinely likes the power trip. Hell, maybe he's just as hungry for the simple physical contact as she apparently is.

"What would you do if I did ask?" she finally whispers in a voice that trembles just a little.

His physical response is instantaneous; his breath starts coming faster and his hands twitch on her hips. The vocal response lags a little in comparison, though when he answers there's nothing but promise in his tone.

"Well, first I'd dry you off and take you to bed. I'd pull the sheets back so that I could see the way you blush from head to toe and then follow that path with my lips. You always smell so amazing, Pepper, absolutely tantalizing. Especially here." His hands settle over the V of her thighs and she responds immediately, spreading her legs so that his hands falls between them. He leaves her frustrated when his fingers stay still, barely touching her at all. "I might have to take a little nibble, Pepper."

"God," she murmurs, shuddering at the image, and then she turns her head instinctively toward him, blindly searching for a kiss.

He tilts his head, making it easier for her to get what she needs. But he mostly stays still, doesn't try and take control.

His passiveness is a little surprising, and her brow furrows as she deepens the contact. The rumble she pulls out of his throat is satisfying, but he still pulls away.

She watches in a little bit of shock as he gently extracts himself from behind her and climbs out of the hot tub. It's not until he reaches in and pulls the plug on the drain and pulls a towel off the rack that she remembers how he'd started this little scenario. 'Do I still need to ask?'

It had been the only precondition he'd set. As he approaches, she decides she owes that much at least to both of them.

So she clears her throat, blushing furiously. "I'm kind of wired right now, Tony. Take me to bed and help wear me out?"

The smile that slowly spreads across his face is predatory and delicious enough to send shivers down her spine. "My pleasure," he all but growls as he offers a hand to help her out of the tub.

She takes it and let's him lever her upright, shifting carefully, trying to keep as much as possible off her injured leg.

"Good Girl. We can't have you hurting yourself, now can we?" His voice is a low throaty purr as he stabilizes her with his hands on her hips for a moment, "Hands on my shoulders, Amante, I don't want you losing your balance."

She complies with the order wordlessly, because the position definitely brings more stability. Conveniently enough for Tony, she supposes, it also leaves everything from her collarbone down completely open to his ministrations.

Tony seems in no hurry to wipe her down with the towel. Instead he just stands there a moment, tracing the dips and rises of her form with his eyes. As his gaze slips over every inch of her skin, Pepper realizes that even though she's been naked this entire time, Tony's kept his eyes trained on her face until this moment.

Only after her explicit admission of need had intent replaced the previously unstated boundary of respect.

Tony brings up the towel, rubbing carefully at the damp ends of her long hair, and Pepper leans forward just a little bit and rests her head on his shoulder. She can feel the little adjustments his body makes as he takes her weight and supports it effortlessly. God, he makes it so easy for her to trust him.

"God, Pep," he murmurs when he's done, echoing her unspoken sentiment as he pushes her upright to give him more room to move. His eyes take in the way her nipples tighten as the fabric circles firmly over them. "Even looking at you just makes me so _hot_."

After that his drying becomes quick and perfunctory, swiping over her belly before he picks her up and carries her into the other room, setting her down atop the bed. "Stay here," he says simply, throwing the damp towel to one side. "I'll be back in a moment."

She looks at him in confusion for a moment before she steps cautiously nods. His eyes watch her, dark, hot, and hungry as he goes into the bathroom and pulls a dry towel loose from the rack. He dries himself far more quickly and vigorously than he had her, and she swallows hard when he returns and drops his now damp boxers to the carpet.

She squeaks a little, unconsciously wetting her lips as she sees him naked for the first time. Well, not for the first time. But for the first time in the context of them.

His lips curl up. "Like the view?"

She blushes furiously, but nods.

"I'm glad Amante. Now do me a favor: close your eyes."

"But..." His lips quirk the tiniest bit but nothing about him softens in the least and she quietly groans as she obeys. Pepper can hear him rooting around in a drawer on the other side of the room before crossing back over to where she's sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"Keep your eyes closed, Pep, and lay back." His voice is soft yet startlingly clear in the darkness. Something about the tone raises pleasant warning hairs on the back of her neck.

"Tony..." She says his name again.

"Just trust me, Pepper. Lay back and close your eyes."

She finally complies, easing back several inches before reclining so that she's only propped up partly on her elbows.

"All the way down, Pep, you can't see anything anyway." Tony glides toward her, and she can feel him pull free the spread on one half of the bed before he gently nudges her to shift over onto the ridiculously smooth Egyptian cotton sheets.

"I thought you were tired," she comments as he switches to the side she was on, presumably to drag the blankets all the way onto the floor.

"You gave me a reason to stay awake." She's a little distracted by a soft thunk when he sets the object in his hand on the nightstand, but her attention quickly refocuses on the changing sounds as he first settle onto the mattress with a quiet squeak and then leans in and drags his lips across hers. She opens her mouth eagerly, but he only briefly tangles his tongue with hers before pulling back.

She whines in protest, and her eyes pop open almost involuntarily. The bastard actually smiles as he gazes straight down at her. "You're always in too much of a hurry," he murmurs gently, tapping the tip of her nose, "We're really going to have to work on that."

"Work on it while you're kissing me," she suggests as she reaches for his head. Before she can touch him though, his hands intercept hers and gently press them back towards the bed.

"Ssshhh..." His weight presses into the bed at her hip as his hands twist and their fingers intertwine. The tip of his nose brushes across her cheek and down the side of her neck. He pauses at the hollow of her throat, his tongue darting out to last her before he starts sucking lightly at her rosy skin. "You said you wanted me to wear you out, right? So slow down and _let_ me."

"Tony…" She's a little confused, and he can hear it in her voice. His expression is tender but his reply is still focused and stubborn as he speaks. "Relax and just focus on the sensation." His head drops lower, dropping kisses across the swell of on breast, nipping the freckled skin as he gently squeezes one nipple. He bends down and kisses her again lightly.

"But -"

"Trust me." His eyes catch hers and hold them as he reaches for the bedside table.

She watches as he squeezes something into his palm, then rubs his hands together. A moment later he cups her breasts with hands slick from a sweet smelling substance – either a lube or some kind of massage oil. Tony busies himself with spreading it over the surface each of her breasts before simply cupping the globes in his palms again, rhythmically tweaking her nipples with his forefingers and thumbs.

It's a pleasant scent - a mixture of sandalwood and citrus, and Pepper arches instinctively upward into his touch –

"OhGod." She's exquisitely aware of how the oil starts to warm, the sensation so intense that it causes her eyes to slide shut involuntarily.

Tony chuckles at her reaction, bending over to nip and then lick at her now hyper sensitive nipples. Pepper's mouth falls open and she gasps as he blows lightly over the peaks before his fingers come back pinch with a little more force behind them. She must be moving too much to suit him because she can feel him come to rest over her thighs as he straddles her body.

"I see you like this stuff. Good. It's new and I've been waiting what feels like forever to try it out on you."

"Forever, Tony? We've been together less than a day." Her voice is high and airy.

"Yeah well, Pep, that's not anywhere near as long as I've dreamed about doing this, even if I respected you too much to make you uncomfortable by actually admitting it." Tony leans forward to lick the outer curve of her ear. "I don't want you just mildly 'ready' to come, Amante...we're not settling for 'nice' or otherwise mediocre sex. I'm going to push you until you beg and when you do I _might _be ready to let you come."

The words are a dirty whisper in her ear and Pepper groans, hips arching upwards, though she doesn't get far, the way he's got her pinned to the mattress. He's playing with her, and she can't help but play right into his hands. Even when he murmurs, "You're going to be all sweaty again when were done," all she can do is moan softly. She doesn't give a damn whether it's a warning or a promise as long as it happens.

With Tony's talent for pushing her to her limits, she should have known that not only would he try it in the bedroom, but that he'd be pretty damn effective at it.

She loses track of how long he tortures her before his mouth makes the slow trek back up to hers. Her head is spinning before he even starts the kiss, and when his lips touch hers, she's lost in the heat.

"That's my girl. I'd say we're making a pretty good start."

Pepper grips a little frantically at Tony's shoulders as she arches to press as much of herself against him as he'll allow. It stuns her a little, that she's thinking in terms of what he'll permit and what he won't, but the risk of him pulling away is more than she can bear right now.

"God, Tony." He chuckles words, then shifts a little, using his hands to cup her bottom, keeping her pressed up tight against his growing erection.

"Can you feel that, Amante? Can you feel what you do to me? Remember the feel of this every time you're hungry but unsure about whether I mind when you ask me."

Then he nips at her earlobe, before sliding slowly down her torso, pausing when his head is resting on the swell of her belly just above her pubic hair. He inhales deeply. "Now where was I again? Ah yes, here..." And he reaches up to grab a pillow to slide it under her hips.

A moment later he's easing her thighs apart. Her eyes crack open and she watches him breathlessly as she feels anticipation curling in the pit of her belly. His eyes are focused, and when she sees him wet his lips she can't help the soft, choked sound of pleasure that escapes from her throat.

If Tony realizes she's looking at him, he doesn't scold her for it. "You are...perfect," he murmurs to her as his hands slide up the inside of her thighs, calluses rasping gently across tender skin. They pin her place as his head bows. His hair falls across his forehead, obscuring his face from view, leaving her to stare at the dark locks until he blows a gentle stream of air across her exposed folds.

Her hips leap under his hands, and are quickly restrained. "God..." he murmurs delightedly, tilting his head just enough to run his beard across the hypersensitive skin.

"You're so desperate, Amante. You just make this so much _fun_."

The first stroke of his tongue is equal parts torment and revelation. "Ohgod!" It's less a whimper than a plea. Then it's just a moan, a word spoken over and over as his tongue brushes across her entrance. Pepper can't seem to still her hips; she's so close to coming that he actually has to back off after a moment, for fear of accidentally tipping her over the edge.

"Oh no, not yet, Pep, not till I say…" His hands stroke soothingly along the outside of her thighs, back and forth until she's fallen still again and her breathing has regulated a little. On his next pass down, Tony hooks his hand behind the knee of her good leg and pulls it up over his shoulder as he bows his head again and flattens his tongue against her. When her body tightens like a bowstring under his touch he can't help but groan.

God, he wants her so badly. Wants more than anything to make her come with his mouth. But he wants more than that, too - he wants to drive her to desperation before he sinks his body into hers and makes her climax around him.

He doesn't know why he isn't doing just that, short of the fact that he's set a defined limit on how long he'll wait before moving past petting and oral sex.

Now though, he isn't sure if he should take it back or even if he can. It'd seemed like a smart idea, taking time to make sure she was rested and well fed and theoretically in a better state of mind to judge whether she wanted him as a lover.

He'd never considered whether or not _he'd_ be able to actually let her go if she decided that was what she wanted.

Now he's achy and stuck in a deal of his own making. Stuck in a world he scarcely recognizes. At least he's not totally alone in his confusion, though, and he takes comfort in that thought as he sucks at her clitoris.

He'd told Pepper at the beginning of this that she'd be begging before he'd let her come. He's not entirely right: she begs _as _she comes. And he, well he's right on the edge, so hard that he nearly comes as well, preventing it only by reaching down to brutally squeeze his shaft by the head.

He's not sure if this apparent lack of control over his own body bodes well for them or not, but as he slips off the bed to go get something to clean her up with, he has no doubts over whether or not she's satisfied. He's certainly achieved his objective.

Pepper's still panting softly, limbs twitching a little. Even when he wipes her off with the damp towel she doesn't do much more than look at him with eyes that are barely open.

The towel he drops to the floor on his side of the bed, and then he gently pulls the pillow out from under Pepper's hips and pulls the blankets up. Pepper willingly surrenders when he pulls her into his arms.

"Feeling better?" he whispers as he brushes his fingers through the long strands of her hair.

Her smile melts some of the worry that had been tightening around his heart. "Do you...do you mind if I try sleeping in here with you for the rest of the night? See if it helps with the nightmares?"

He brushes a kiss against her lips, a gesture she accepts wearily. "No, I don't mind. You're welcome to anything you want while you're here, Pepper. I've already said that."

She yawns and settles in closer against him with a slight nod of her head. "I doubt I will, but just in case I kick in my sleep tonight, I apologize in advance."

"At least you're not wearing heels." He smirks a little as his eyes drift shut.

The sound of her slow, steady breathing is the last thing he remembers.

- - - - - - - - - - -

When Tony wakes, he blinks at the clock in astonishment, because according to the blinking numbers it's a full fifteen hours later. Unbelieving he could have slept that long, he sits up and stretches, still in his bed.

"Jarvis? Why didn't you wake me by ten a.m. as normal?"

"Ms Potts's orders, Sir. She didn't want you woken up. When she rose herself about three hours ago, she said that your schedule was clear of everything but the daily work in your shop, and that it would be wise to let you sleep until you woke, considering how late you both got to bed."

She's taking care of him again...which he suspects might conveniently also keep him out of her hair while she did anything she happened to want. Tony shudders to think of what she might be getting up to without supervision. From the amount of trouble she'd been having getting her mind to shut down the night before, he wouldn't be surprised if she's started her manhunt by herself, just to avoid another argument.

"Where's she right now?" Tony groans as he stretches and climbs out of the bed.

"She's in the kitchen, Sir, pulling caramel rolls from the oven."

Tony nods, then takes a quick shower before throwing on the first pair of jeans that his hands land on and a t-shirt that may or may not be clean. There's no visible grease stains at least and it doesn't smell.

"What's she been up to – has she been working all morning in her office?"

"Negative, Sir. She's read, spent time with her cat and begun to work through her personal laundry."

It's not as bad as he'd expected then, but it's still more than she should be doing. He wonders if she even understands the concept of an actual vacation.

When he makes it into the kitchen he pauses in the doorway, lips curling up in response to a rather amusing lecture in progress.

"No. Uh Uh. No way. Carnivores don't eat caramel rolls, and no matter how much you beg, you are not getting any of the bacon…"

Tuck continues to wait, looking imploring and adorable, from the spot where he's flopped across Pepper's feet.

"Why can't he have bacon?" Tony asks, trying not to react to the way Pepper startles a bit at the sound of his voice. When she turns around he's the picture of cool control; leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "You just said he's a carnivore and last I checked, bacon's still made of meat. So why are you being stingy about it?"

Pepper snorts, "Because cats have trouble digesting pork products." She smiles then, genuine but still a little awkward. "So, did you have a good sleep?"

"Yeah. You?" He moves into the room and takes a seat. "Jarvis said you'd been up for about three hours now."

She nods. "After twelve hours imitating the dead. I can't remember the last time I slept that long uninterrupted."

"You had a long day yesterday. Not to mention I did my best to wear you out." His smile is a little lopsided. "How's the leg?"

Pepper glances down, then shrugs a little. "Good, though I can't wait to be off these damn crutches." She's technically now using only one.

"Have you been on your feet ever since you got up?"

She shakes her head, "No, I took a speed shower, sorted laundry in the basement and got a load in. After that I fed Tuck again and then read awhile before I decided to make breakfast."

More like brunch really, but he's not going to quibble about it. "Okay, that's still a lot of time on your feet. Here's the deal - you have half an hour to finish whatever you need to, then you're taking at least an hour off to just lie around. And you're taking one of your painkillers if you haven't already."

She raises an eyebrow. "I took four Tylenol an hour ago, Tony. The pain's much less today; they're working just fine."

He leans forward and folds his arms on the table top. "Yes, I'm being pushy. Don't look at me like that, I know what that eyebrow means." His gaze is level - no teasing to be seen. "I can move your laundry around without hurting myself or your delicates. I know you're probably getting a little antsy, but pushing yourself isn't going to help and frankly, I don't like having to watch you do it. Will you just do this one thing for me?"

She sighs and nods, "Fine I'll eat then sit down for awhile. It's not like there's much else to do before the sketch artist comes." Pepper hesitates for a moment before she raises her chin and challenges, "So, are you going to lecture me if I turn back on my laptop and deal with the glut of email left from yesterday? Because if I'm going to actually work just half days for the next three months, then I need to figure out what duties to pass of to others and start to make the necessary arrangements."

He accepts her words as they come, understanding that she's trying to find some sort of balance between the amount of control she's given him as a lover and the control she's used to wielding over him. He can be patient, or he can at least try.

When he answers, Tony's voice is calm. "As long as you're off your feet you can do anything you want, Pepper. I'm not your warden, I'm merely worried for your continued good health. Though for the record 'half days' better last at absolute _maximum_ four hours with one fifteen minute break in the middle."

Her lips purse and her shoulders remain tight and Tony fights the urge to groan. This is coming out as a little more confrontational than he'd meant to get today. Sighing as he pushes himself up from the table, Tony crosses the kitchen to stand in front of Pepper. She watches him warily, a little frown on her face, but he doesn't let that stop him.

"Good morning, Ms Potts," he murmurs as he settles his hands on her hips and brushes his lips across her cheek. "I missed you when I woke up."

She blushes. "Sorry. I uhm…got to sleep as long as I needed. I figured you were due at least the same courtesy. I'm sorry if you felt like I should have been there when you actually woke up." She shrugs, "I don't mean to offend it's just that the...etiquette …of this all is a little confusing to me."

"I'm not offended." He can't help but take another half step closer to her. "And as for my expectations...well, I expected to wake up and find you convincing Jarvis to become your partner in crime." Her skin is warm and smells slightly of cinnamon. Tony can't help but lean in again. "Can't say I'm disappointed to find you arguing with your cat," he murmurs against her cheek.

"Tony, I know that I've been a little...outside my norms the last twenty four hours, but as a general rule, I try and keep my promises." Her voice is quiet, an a little bit hoarse. "I mean you've honored your end of our bargain so far, did you really expect me to blatantly violate mine?"

"Pepper..." Tony cups his hand under her chin and gently raises it until she's looking at him. "Just because I know how you taste when you come doesn't mean I've forgotten everything else about you. What I expected was that you would be worried, and that you'd be starting your own investigation, and I might even get a briefing once you were satisfied with your findings." He raises her hands to his mouth and presses gentle kisses against them. "You are still the most capable, most trustworthy person I know. And that's why I didn't expect to find you more or less unoccupied."

Pepper nods, "I've been thinking about things I'll admit. But until about thirty minutes ago, Tony, I didn't even have any decent clothes to wear when the police get here. Sometimes you've got to start by cleaning up your own house a little before you worry about what's happening outside of it."

He smiles and lets her go. "Unless you have something better to do, I suggest you eat before your pastries get cold."

She nods. "There's eggs and bacon too, keeping warm on a plate in the oven." She eases a cinnamon roll out of the pan, before crutching awkwardly over to the table with the plate in her free hand.

"Want anything to drink?" Tony pulls a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. "I can even make a run for coffee if you want some."

She shakes her head, "I think that for the next few days I'm going to go light on the caffeine. I've been drinking so much of it lately, my liver's probably ready to shut down."

"Well there's always milk, juice or tea..."

"The only tea here is the stuff I bring for work - and the tin is empty. I used the last of your milk for the eggs and I'm afraid that I can't drink orange juice."

"Anything wrong with my water?" Tony jokingly asks as he gets two glasses down from the cupboard.

She laughs. "No, a glass of that is fine." Then she takes a bite of her cinnamon roll, and sighs almost blissfully. "I think once the sketch artist is done that I'm going to take the Audi and go do some shopping. If I'm gonna be here at least one more day the least I can do is contribute to groceries."

"We can go grocery shopping," Tony agrees, setting her water down in front of her. "Sounds astonishingly domestic."

The look she sends him is amused, "I'm driving, Stark. You can push the grocery cart."

Tony regards her a moment, "You really sure you're okay to be driving?"

She nods. "My right leg's uninjured, and it's not like I'm druggy."

He nods as he pulls a roll out of the pan and eats nearly half of it in one bite. This is something that's not worth arguing about, not when he wants her to realize that he trusts her judgment. Besides, if she ends up being wrong, it's not like they can't pull over and swap seats.

"So..." She sighs. "We should probably talk. I know we had some differences of opinion on how to handle the challenge of finding Brian."

"Yes, I was all for keeping from getting further on the law's bad side if I remember."

She makes a face. "And I was all for handling thing myself – well okay ourselves- with as much emphasis on privacy as possible."

That she allows for his involvement, even belatedly, gives Tony the control to keep his voice calm. "You're still ruling out a private detective?" Pepper doesn't quite meet his eyes as she nods her head. "Alright, then have you at least reconsidered how helpful you're going to be with the police sketch artist?"

Pepper shrugs, "I'm not going to lie about how Brian looks, but I'm also not going to be providing a lot of helpful specifics when creating his picture."

Tony can't help the way his nostrils flare. "I still think that's a bad idea, Pepper."

"Why? It's not even surprising." She sighs, "Tony do you have any idea how many people I deal with from day to day? It's a _sea _of faces, sometimes: I mean can you honestly tell me that _you_ remember what the last professional masseuse who worked on you looks like?"

"Blonde. Big breasts. Don't say that describes half my general acquaintances." Tony rubs the back of his neck before pinning her with an unhappy look. "It's unnecessary deception. I don't like it."

"Why? Because it's actually risky or because you're the only one who's allowed to lie when the mood happens to suit you?" The words come out rather snappish, and Pepper's hand flies to her mouth, "Damn it. I didn't mean it that way, Tony, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to tell the police about Brian without betraying his secrets in the process."

"Don't hide how you really feel, Pepper," Tony mumbles under his breath before he carefully pushes himself away from the table. That tone had been enough to remind him of what he'd conveniently forgotten until now- all the little fights they'd been having, the ones that'd intensified for awhile before calming to an at least bearable level...when she'd started seeing Weber.

He snags another roll from the tray. "Look, I'm going to check on your laundry and then tinker around a bit. I've got a few projects that are being fussy. Give me a call when the sketch artist gets here."

"Tony..." Her voice is regretful. "Please don't go skulking off." She sighs, "It's just...hard sometimes. I know I hide it as well, but I am human, and when under pressure, I occasionally _do_ shoot my mouth off."

Maybe that's their whole problem, Pepper acknowledges to herself a little glumly. Their whole relationship has been built around the fact that Tony has always been the rude, unpredictable one. Tony has rarely seen her as anything but organized and in order – professional and polite exactly as he's always needed her to be.

But she's not some kind of emotionless doll - and the last place she belongs is up on a pedestal.

"When you're right, you're right, Potts. Whether you mean to be or not." Tony does come around the table though, and he bends down to drop a kiss on her cheek. She looks up at him wordlessly - unsure of his mood or if she should be saying something else - and he gazes back though his eyes are just a little unfocused. As if his thoughts are elsewhere. "Tony Stark always gets what he wants," he murmurs. "Well, almost always, anyway."

"I'm just trying to do what's right. To minimize the damage."

He smiles as if he understands, but his eyes are a little distant. "Do what you need to, Potts. You always have and it usually turns out pretty well."

She seems to sense his need for a retreat because she sighs and lets it go. "All right. Go then, and take some time for yourself. Meanwhile I'm going to take a load off just like you asked me to. Go through the emails and then make a call to a friend."

It hadn't occurred to her until this morning while making breakfast that there was a route to finding more information on Brian that she hadn't even considered.

Marcia Patrelli. If the woman had been able to give her Brian's card and number, she might also be able to provide Pepper with the number of at least one of his co-workers. Hopefully that person can tell her if Brian is safe, and possibly even bring him a message.


	13. Chapter 12

Tony's elbow deep in grease and components before he realizes what his problem is.

Pepper is worried about someone else. Pepper is risking getting in trouble with the law - which he can get her out of - and in trouble with the board - which would be trickier - for someone who isn't _him_. And he's massively jealous.

Pepper isn't supposed to worry about other people, as greedy and callous as that sounds. Pepper is _his_...his...

What she is to him doesn't really stand up to any one conventional description.

All he knows is she's his and that it's turning him into the kind of sick, possessive bastard that he's always used to look down on with a touch of amusement. After all, Tony Stark always gets what he wants, so why should he have had any reason to pity those who were afraid of losing the one good thing they have?

Except, thanks to a three month stay in a twenty by twenty foot stone cell, he can see just how little has always been holding Tony Stark up. There's very little of actual worth in the current Stark kingdom.

Obadiah's gone. That leaves Pepper and Rhodey. He's already a man trying to run a cross country race on stilts. Losing a single ounce of Pepper's support would more than likely do him in emotionally.

Tony throws the wrench in his hand without caring where it lands. Their fights in the months leading up to now suddenly make a hell of a lot more sense. Every time she hadn't backed him up 100 percent, he'd gotten defensive, never mind why she'd been worried. Her reluctance had only made something inside him echo with the same questions she asked, ones he didn't know how to answer, only knew how to justify. Only too often the look in her eyes made it clear that his justifications were barely enough to keep her on his side.

And now? He's constantly tripping over the fading line between professional and personal distance. He's being asked to grant her the right to make her own decisions, even at the cost of her personal safety. The problem is that he keeps unconsciously expecting Pepper to ultimately bow to his wishes whenever they disagree – even if she doesn't approve – because that's what she tends to do when they're at _work_.

Except as Pepper had told him herself just yesterday morning, she considers this a personal matter. Never mind that there's been an attempt on her life. Never mind that she'd only let Brian into her bed to begin with because her job's been emotionally and physically exhausting her.

In her head this has become a _crusade_ – something she's done wrong that she needs to correct. It's like…it's like she's decided that because her boss runs around in a metal suit, she needs to become just as impenetrable.

Which in one meaning of the word, is _very_ ironic.

Tony groans and grinds the heels of his hands into his eyes as he tries to think as an adult and not a hormonal ass. The root problem here isn't sex; it's that this has become a huge emotional quagmire for both of them. She's acting recklessly because of her pervasive sense of guilt, and his fear that she's going to get hurt or otherwise slip away from him is making him far more overbearing than he should be.

'So acknowledge the things driving both of you and start adjusting your tactics, genius. It sure beats sulking like some whiny five year old whose favorite toy has suddenly developed a will of its own.'

This time he's _not_ in charge, whether he likes it or not. If he pushes to far she's likely to quit just like she threatened to earlier before she'll let him bully her once inch farther than she's prepared to go.

'So go upstairs, Stark, and ask her what she needs you to do instead of criticizing everything she's doing, and maybe in return she'll be willing to compromise and at least give you a decent chance of keeping her safe while she tracks this guy down.'

"Jarvis?" He speaks as he heads over to the sink.

"How can I help you, Sir?" The AI immediately replies.

"Do we have any software capable of creating facial sketches here at the mansion?" Pepper may not be anxious to give an accurate representation of Weber to the police, but he's reasonably sure that she won't have the same issues creating a decent likeness for him.

"Negative, Sir."

"Then get online, find and buy me one. Let me know once it's uploaded." Putting a face to Weber's name will hopefully make him more human, and less threatening to Tony's slightly battered psyche.

"Affirmative, Sir," is Jarvis's simple reply. Hands finally clean, Tony shakes them dry before heading back up the stairs.

It's time to head back up to the living room to try and re-open their peace talks.

When he reaches the top step it's to see a now familiar sight. Pepper is sitting on his couch with her laptop on her lap. She's currently engrossed in a clearly tense conversation with someone on her BlackBerry's headset.

"No, no Marcia, I didn't tell the police your name. There should be no way this will get linked back to you unless Brian or the group he works with has some kind of central database of all their clients." Pepper sighs and rolls her eyes, "Yes, I'm absolutely certain. Look all I called you for is to see if I can get the number for another one of the guys…I only ever had Brian's..."

Tony freezes in his steps, much in the same way his chest freezes up. The logical part of his mind – the part just barely in control of his behavior for the past twenty-four hours – insists that this is Pepper's way of starting her search for Weber. That's the logical explanation for why she's asking these kind of questions.

The unreasonable part of him – the part that's had him on edge since he found out she'd been shot – growls threateningly at the thought that Pepper would have anything to do with any of Brian's colleagues, for any reason. Because yes, he's tried to make it Pepper's choice whether or not she takes him as a lover, but in that instant he realizes that all he's really been doing is trying to be a gentleman about not giving her a choice at all.

He's not prepared to share her with any man, and he absolutely refuses to see her make herself any more vulnerable than she already is in her current situation.

"Look, I don't care hair color or ethnicity, Marcia. I'm not trying to get laid - I just want to _talk_ to someone."

Her words - whether they're said to him or not - leash a little bit of Tony's anxiety. Though he's left restless, he's also left with a semblance of control. He's not going to go out there and do anything stupid, nothing that might undermine Pepper's belief that he trusts her. Similarly he doesn't want to startle her, so he waits before she disconnects the call before he resumes his climb up the stairs, this time walking loudly, so as to warn her he's coming.

The way she starts and pulls her earpiece out almost guiltily does nothing to help him relax further. Though his jaw hurts because he's clenching it so hard, Tony makes an effort to sound civil and not accusatory when he says, "Any luck with getting that number, Pep?"

She blinks at that and he realizes that she'd never told him she was looking for a phone number, only that she was going to make a call to a friend.

"I...yeah I did. I mean I have a cell phone number or two to try." She shrugs a little, "I don't know how much luck I'll have setting up an appointment today or tomorrow though. Even if I do offer twice the going rate you usually have to schedule a couple of days ahead."

"Is this a hint that I need to work on my massages?" Tony sits on the opposite end of the couch. He does his best to keep his face relaxed and his tone light.

She shakes her head emphatically. "I'm not looking for _sex_, Tony...I just want to see if the agency he works for is aware of what's been happening. Well that and I'm hoping that they can confirm he's all right, and maybe have him call me or something." She shrugs, "It just seems like the easiest way I could think of to try and locate him."

He feels himself relax a little bit more. "And you have to make a personal appointment with someone to accomplish that? You can't just call a central number and talk to whoever's in charge?"

She shrugs. "I'm not sure there actually _is_ a central booking line, Tony. From the little Brian's told me the agency's more like a network of carefully vetted independent contractors who refer their clients to one another when their schedules get too busy to handle the load alone."

"I see." Tony met her eyes squarely for the first time since coming upstairs. "Go ahead and set up an appointment then - I know just where the three of us can meet."

She frowns... "Tony, no offense but I already had a coffee shop in mind, and while I appreciate your offer to come along, I really think that showing up there with another guy in tow is only going to scare away whoever comes before I can get any useful information out of them."

"And the alternative is what – you going there solo?" He shakes his head. "I'm not willing to negotiate when it comes to your safety, Pepper. Not right now. Somebody shot at you yesterday morning. Until that person is apprehended, you're not going anywhere where you could be made a target by yourself.."

Pepper sighs. "Tony, how much danger can I possibly get into in the middle of a crowded coffee shop? I mean do you really think the nutcase from yesterday would do something so public again?"

"You got shot yesterday in the parking lot of a Michelin store," he answers flatly. "Not a place known for its hard core clientele."

"Maybe, but there's a big difference between taking a shot at someone from a distance and trying the same in a room full of witnesses who'd happily identify you in a court of law."

"Pepper, let me save you the frustration of trying to convince me to agree: my answer is 'no.'"

Her nostrils flare. "Tony, reality check here: I'm explaining my plan so you're kept in the loop just like I promised. What I'm not doing is asking your permission."

The way his jaw tightens is the only warning she gets before he's across the couch, pinning her to the cushions as he kisses her with a desperation he hasn't shown until now. His lips are bossy and his hands are restraining, but above her his body is trembling.

Pepper's so shocked that it takes her a moment to clear her head. Once the first desperate rush of heat passes though, she breaks off the kiss and firmly pushes him back, gasping deeply for several long seconds before she frowns deeply at him.

"Look Stark, I know we're both frustrated and stressed, but that's not an excuse to bully me. I'll declare our deal null and void right now if you think it gives you the right to pull crap like that."

He stares down at her, mouth open just a little before something behind his eyes seems to snap back into place but before she can process the change he stands up and steps away. It's not before he's put the coffee table between them that he even looks at her again.

"Pepper...I'm sorry. I was out of line. Just… I can't just sit with my hands tied and watch you do things that might take you away from me. I'm sorry if it rubs you the wrong way, but I just refuse to do that."

His words are firm, but Pepper's face softens a little, because his voice in both quiet and a little shaky. "Then learn to bargain for what you want, Stark. I'm serious Tony, try and overpower me that way again and we're done." She draws a deep breath, lets it out, "Look, do you _honestly_ think that meeting someone in a room full of other people presents any real kind of threat?"

"I think someone would like to see you hurt and that things have been escalating. And despite the fact you promised you'd let me help, Potts, you're _still_ trying to run this solo. You agreed we'd do this together, so how come I keep getting cut out of all the strategic decisions?"

She flinches at that a little, before reluctantly nodding her head, "Okay, then how about a compromise: if you're really convinced that it's that dangerous then you can stake out the coffee shop with me, but you and Happy need to look like a separate party. You can grab an adjacent table. That way you'll be far enough away to not be intimidating, but close enough to come to my rescue if there's actually trouble."

A muscle in his jaw twitches, but he nods, accepting her decision even if it clearly isn't the concession he'd wanted.

"You're probably getting worked up over nothing, you do realize that right? Nothing is going to happen." Pepper sighs and shakes her head. "Hel,l we might not even be able to get an appointment at all, and if we do, the person may get spooked by the unusual venue." She shakes her head, "We may be approaching this wrong. Maybe it's wiser all around just to do the same as I did with Brian – to just give my home address and meet with whoever is willing there."

Fortunately, the reply Tony wants to give to that suggestion stays locked in his head. "Fine, but don't expect me to hide in the kitchen in that situation." His voice is tight and just a little angry but the volume stays controlled. He's not yelling, even if he wants to.

"You can be wherever you want at my place, Tony, as long as you don't stand there and loom like an axe murderer the whole time. The whole idea behind this meeting is to make whoever shows up feel safe enough to actually _talk_ to me."

That might be Pepper's goal, but it certainly isn't his. She wants accurate information, he wants to make it through the meeting with her physical wellbeing and his sanity intact.

He also wants to make sure whoever she ends up with treats her with minimally the same amount of respect as she was accustomed to from Brian.

'Not that that's enough. Not that that's even close to enough.' Because what Pepper will tolerate and he will are proving to be on totally different continents. God, he's just so tense and talking to Pepper is really only making matters worse. Forget tinkering in his shop, what he needs is some harmless junk that he can blow the shit out of.

"Tony, it's going to be fine, I promise. I've done this before, remember? It turned out alright."

'Alright?' They obviously had different definitions of the word. Yes she had done this before and it's what's gotten her in the middle of this mess. It's what had gotten her shot at. "Pepper? For the record, that's not particularly reassuring."

She sighs, "Look it's a good compromise. We both get some of what we want in exchange for some of what we don't. Can we just shelve the matter for now, until I can actually get an appointment...? There's plenty of email on the work server I still need to get through, and you look like you could use a few hours with your game cube and First Person Shooter."

"Right." His smile is tight. "I could use a few hours in the basement. Hell, maybe I'll just take suit out for a couple of hours."

Pepper's face grows a little pale, but she nods without disagreement. "Okay then. I'll be either here or in my bedroom. Do you want to grab some lunch for both of us on your way back?"

Tony looks towards the stairs to his shop. "How does Mexican sound?" Of course, if she agrees, he's not sure how he's going to keep the food warm during the flight.

"Whatever you want to get will be fine." She pauses a moment, as if weighing her words. "Look, Tony, I'm sorry. Believe it or not I don't enjoy pissing you off. I'm doing the best I can here."

"What pisses me off," he growls. "If the fact that you were _shot_ yesterday and despite that fact you keep acting like it was a paper cut." Then he holds his hands up like he's stepping away from the matter. "Look I'm in a rotten mood – I'm just gonna get out of here for a couple of hours until I can clear out my head."

"Tony, what do you expect me to do – break down? Act hysterical? Not all that long ago I was face to face with Obadiah. Do you honestly think that any of this is terrifying in comparison to that?"

He scoffs, "Thanks for reminding me that I've forced you to readjust your mental sliding scale concerning what is and isn't traumatizing. That just makes me feel _so_ much better."

Pepper sighs, but doesn't argue further, because her attempts to explain her mindset don't seem to be helping anything, if anything her words are just adding fuel to his fire, making it burn ever higher.

"Have fun out there. I'll see you when you get back."

Inwardly, she's far less polite. 'Thank you so much, Stark, for picking and choosing when to approve of my hard earned stoicism. If you want to find out who I learned it from, try looking in the mirror once in awhile.'

This isn't fair: the man keeps changing the rules. They don't talk about their feelings or their personal traumas. He doesn't talk about his experiences in Afghanistan and she doesn't admit to the nights she paces the mansion while he's out on his missions.

He doesn't get to get pissed that she's showing the stiff upper lip he basically forced her to develop.

She knows when Tony leaves the house. His suit isn't necessarily loud, but it makes things shake a little when he takes off. He doesn't even wait for the police to come and go, something she's not sure what to make of, considering how insistent he is that she shoot completely straight with them.

She sighs and sets her laptop on the floor by the couch.

'How much are you really protecting Brian, by playing it shady?' A negligible amount probably, which was in direct contrast to how much her obfuscations were upsetting Tony.

But then right now Tony seems to be getting pissed by practically everything that's coming out of her mouth. How the hell had that gotten so... Well, so much like the _fights _they'd had regularly before she started seeing Brian?

'Simple Potts, you're walking a razor thin edge right now. You're worried and pissy and too exhausted to be subtle anymore. You're actually standing up for your opinions instead of shoving them down.'

And apparently after yesterday, Tony's too strung out to deal with her with the mask completely pulled off. He's the one who insisted on taking on her whole messy life though, and the one who keeps refusing to share the relief he keeps pushing on her.

The result is them more and more often at each other's throats as latent sexual attraction is fed by a serious case of blue balls.

She beats her head back against the cushions on the couch as she makes the reluctant admission. This deal of theirs may have been well intentioned, but she doesn't think that it's working that way that either of them really need it to anymore. It may be helping her some in the short term, but she's also pretty damn sure in the long term, continuing as they are is only going to cause long term damage.

And that - hurting Tony – well, that's the last thing she wants. Hell, the whole reason she's in this whole mess is because she'd been trying to find a way to stop being angry at Tony for things that aren't even his fault.

She's had some time to think now. And she's reasonably certain she's found the root of her problem.

'Your 'problem,' Potts, is your heart doesn't care if it's fallen for the worst person in the entire fucking universe.'

Because yes, being half in love with Tony Stark before he'd gone to Afghanistan had been annoying. But it hadn't been half as agonizing as the process of falling the rest of the way ever since he's come back.

Post-Afghanistan Tony has ten times the conviction and 100 times the probability that she'll eventually have to mourn him. His newly discovered "calling" means he's constantly flying into danger. She's constantly faced with the reality that eventually that calling is going to kill him.

And she's already been there – already walked down that path with someone else she loved. It's not fair that she's now got no choice but to make that journey again.

'So tell him,' something in her murmurs. 'Sit down and tell him how it felt to bury Peter. Do you honestly think his knowing why this is so hard will make the situation worse?'

"Oh yes," she mutters to herself a little sarcastically. "I'd just love to have that conversation: 'Tony forgive me for being a selfish bitch, but I'm not sure I can handle your redemption, because the closest thing that I've ever had to a family of my own was my fiancé - a loyal till they die multi-generational fireman who I had to watch burn to death while trying to save someone on national TV.'"

Her grief over Peter is older, not as sharp as it had been once, but that doesn't make it any less real, or any less private. It's not something she feels like she can explain to anyone.

She knows what it's like to love a man who wrestled with death on a regular basis. Yes, she'd been proud of her fiancé, but that hadn't meant she was ready to live with that kind of constant fear ever again.

She's just been trying to adjust...hoping to find a way to protect herself at the same time she takes care of him. Every time he rushes off recklessly and comes home wounded though, it feels like another chunk of her sanity is being ripped off.

If she doesn't find a way not to care so much, one of these days there won't be anything left.

Pepper sets her computer aside, and swings her feet up onto the couch. Within a few seconds Tucker's bounding towards her and leaping up onto the couch to snuggle. She buries her face in the kitten's fur. "You know buddy, sometimes I think your mama's gone insane. I have really lousy taste in men."

The kitten tilts its head, managing to look a little quizzical. The after a moment, it actually appears to nod its head as it meows at her plaintively.

"Thank you, for that." Tuck starts purring and butts his head against her chin. Pepper chuckles. "Oh I see how this is. An entire house full of new furniture to lie on, and you still want to sleep on my chest."

The kitten purrs louder, stretching out and tucking his head directly beneath her chin.

"Fine then, you've got thirty minutes to snuggle. After that I've got to get some work done." In the meantime she supposes that it can't hurt to put her favorite concerto on and maybe close her eyes. It's not likely she'll actually sleep, but hopefully she'll manage to calm her mind a bit.

Ten minutes later Pepper Potts falls into a deep but restless sleep.

Through it all a small ball of black and white fur remains curled up atop her chest.

8888

Three hours and a few loop dee-loops later, Tony Stark is feeling significantly better. The rush of flying has, as always, helped to clear out the cobwebs from his head.

Of course swooping down and stopping that fleeing blue Toyota had probably helped as well. Particularly when he'd been right there to witness the damn hit and run.

'Easy gratification, Stark. Bad guy caught, good guys not injured beyond a little whiplash. The police were thrilled and you got to give a beaming ten year old your autograph.'

He only wishes the rest of his life were so easily put to rights.

He hadn't meant to stay out as long as he had, and had only started to realize just how much time had passed when the sun had started to set. And as he waits for his robots to get him out of his suit, Tony wonders if he can go blithely upstairs, or if caution is called for in making his entrance.

After all, a hungry Pepper tends to be grumpy.

"Jarvis?" He asks just as soon as the suit comes off, "How mad did Pepper get when I forgot to bring back lunch?"

There's a momentary sound of static through the speakers before his AI replies. "Sir, she hasn't gotten angry at all. She lay down on the couch shortly after you left, and aside from some more unsettling dreams, my sensors indicate she's still asleep."

"What about the police? Didn't she wake when they got here?" Tony hurriedly shrugs out of his flight suit and pulls on the jeans and t-shirt still lying discarded on the back of the couch. "Weren't they supposed to have come by, by now?"

"They have yet to as much as call, Sir. Perhaps they've been following leads in other places?"

Tony is quickly losing patience with the police department in charge of Pepper's case. First they'd had to go deliver the brick and a spare key to Pepper's house last night on the way here, and now no one had as much as called to check in on a recovering gunshot victim?

"Call down to the station that's handling Pepper's case and get an explanation, Jarvis."

"Very well, Sir." Tony starts climbing the stairs, wondering how to coax Pepper into talking about her nightmares.

When he reaches the living room his steps slow to near stillness as he catches a glimpse of Pepper, who's lying on her back on the couch, Tucker sitting guard atop her chest.

She looks so tired that he's reluctant to wake her. But if she's been asleep since he left, then he really should wake her for some dinner before sending her back to bed. It won't take too long to get some soup hot, and that's probably all she's in any condition to handle anyway.

Tony pats Tucker on the head a little absently as he drags himself away from Pepper's side to go make her some food. The cat jumps down and follows him into the kitchen, looking at him curiously as he opens the door to the refrigerator.

The kitten meows in what Tony assumes is hunger, "Sorry, furball. You're barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. Pepper threatened to strangle me if I give you any more people food,"

There's a leftover container of some kind of tomato bisque in here somewhere. It should be enough for now.

Tucker only comes closer and plops down atop his foot, looking up at Tony sadly. He's not begging exactly, Tony realizes, and a glance at the bowl to the left reveals the cat's got more than half of his food left. Instead the cat looks back to the living room, than to the man in front of him. For a moment, Stark can almost swear that the damn thing looks _worried_.

"What? You're upset because she's been sleeping all day? I'd think that would seem perfectly normal to a cat," Tony mutters under his breath as he finally finds the container he'd been looking for. "I'll wake her up as soon as I can feed her."

The cat tilts his head in the other direction. "Stop looking at me that way. She's fine." Pepper's a grown woman and supposedly perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She should be perfectly capable of making it a few hours without any nagging from him.

Tony can almost swear that the cat snorts at that, rising up to walk a few feet before flopping down on the kitchen rug just a few feet away..

"Yeah well guess what, I never asked for your opinion."

Tony pours the soup into two bowls and puts them both into the microwave, then goes to get Pepper. She hasn't moved at all. Tony kneels at her side and lightly rests the palm of his hand against her cheek. "Pepper, time for dinner." It takes a moment or two, but her eyes crack open.

"Oh hey." She doesn't remember how they parted, if the slow easy smile that spreads across her face is any indication.

"You need to eat. Soup is heating in the kitchen as I speak."

"Okay." She sighs and stretches slightly. "Just let me use the restroom first."

He nods, "Don't forget your crutches."

Pepper makes a face but nods and retrieves them from the floor where she'd laid them. "You said soup?" she asks as she levers herself upright carefully.

"Tomato, basil and pine nuts," he replies. "Is that going to be an issue?" He remembers the list of things she hadn't wanted with breakfast as she looks at him.

She shakes her head. "No it's fine. I should be able to get down a half cup of that or so."

Tony sighs. "Pepper, you're healing. That requires eating more than the average sparrow. Now what can I feed you that you'll actually _eat_?"

"I can handle the soup and maybe some cheese. Do you have plain bread or crackers?"

"Yes, but bread and water isn't a meal. And the only cheese in my fridge is probably covered in mold." There's a little humor in Tony's voice but mostly he sounds concerned. "How long have you been eating like this, Pepper?"

"A month or so. Lately my stomach's been kind of iffy."

His lips tighten. "Seen a doctor about that?" Of course she hasn't. She's Pepper Potts.

"No need. I had an ulcer in college that I assume is firing back up. I've been limiting my diet accordingly."

Tony nods and stands, helping her to her feet as he does. "Go wash up. I'll get the food on the table."

She does as he asks without further comment, joining him in the kitchen perhaps five minutes later, sniffing the soup appreciatively as she eases down into her seat.

"Looks good," she says simply, taking a soda cracker and dipping it in the red liquid before popping it into her mouth. "This was my Mom's favorite rainy day lunch back when I was a kid. Even the smell is enough to make me nostalgic."

"Yeah?" Tony gets a bottle of water from the fridge and brings it over for her.

"She wasn't much of a cook. It was hard to ruin this." Pepper ruefully admits.

"More or less my reasoning for heating it too." Tony sits down across from her and starts crumbling crackers into his soup.

She chuckles softly. "Mom used to always say that none of us can be good at everything." She shakes her head, then laugh, "And she was right: my Dad was absolutely tone deaf, Carrie could barely cross a room without tripping over her feet. And Derek, well..." She lets the sentence die off.

Tony looks up curiously but doesn't press for any information.

"Tony do you remember how I told you earlier that I actually pay two mortgages? Well that's not entirely true. One of them is the mortgage for my house, and the other's basically room and board for Derek."

"And Derek is?" It's a fairly obvious question.

"My nephew. My sister's son. This year he turned 27."

Tony blinks, "You're paying the room and board for a 27 year old man?" Something in her face tells him the man in question isn't freeloading.

"Yeah. I promised my sister before she died that I'd always look after him."

"Why does he need to be looked after?" Tony asks softly, setting his soup spoon down. Across the table, Pepper plays with her own for several seconds, before she finally looks up at him.

She sighs. "Because he's got the body of a full grown man, yes, but mentally he'll never get any older than six or seven."

"Disability?" Tony asks softly. There's enough understanding in his voice to keep her from freezing up.

"Traumatic brain injury. Car accident when he was still a kid. It's left him with serious mental handicaps and a seizure condition."

"Do you visit him much?" Tony prays there's no tone of judgment in the question.

Pepper shakes her head, "No… He tends to get upset whenever I come to visit. I think he's confused because I look a lot like his mom did, and yet he knows that she's dead – he doesn't really understand the passage of time that well. When he gets upset he tantrums…gets violent. I've learned of the years that it's best just to let him be."

Pepper shrugs, "He does really good where he is for the most part – but it's expensive – it's a privately run group home and I have to cover all the parts of his care that aren't covered by his social security payouts."

"Did his mother not have life insurance?" Tony's a little horrified to wonder how long she's been carrying such a burden.

"Some – but I thought it was best to invest it so it's there if something happens to me. With what I make we can still get by, maybe not with a lot of extras, but still for the most part pretty comfortably."

Comfortably enough to buy top rack clothing for work certainly….though Tony now wonders if she considers that another expected part of the job. "Is this is why you kept driving that second hand car of yours back when I first hired you even when I gave you two huge bonuses in the first two years?"

He'd finally broken down and just bought her a car he felt appropriate himself as a bonus at the beginning of year three.

Pepper nods. "My car was a few years old but work appropriate, and I had a real backlog of school and medical bills at that point. It took about 36 months to finally catch up and actually start building up my savings."

His smile is wry, "And here I thought you were being stubborn just to see if you could drive me crazy."

Pepper snorts and pokes him, "I love my car, Tony. And I love Jimmy Choos, as you very well know. But despite earlier smart remarks aside, they're not the place where I invest most of my money. I wasn't kidding when I told you that massages twice a month were about all I could afford."

He hadn't accused her of paying too much for shoes or massages, he'd accused her of paying too much for sex. However Tony doesn't think clarifying the point will help either of them at the moment.

Pepper's actually talking about herself, which is a definite rarity.

So he reaches across the table to squeeze her hand, "Pepper…I'm not sure what brought this particular confession on, but thanks for telling me."

Pepper shrugs, "It just felt like it was time…" She shrugs, "I think sometimes we're both so used to respecting each other's privacy that we may be silent by habit rather than necessity." She shrugs, "You asked while we were… together… last night, and there's really no good reason for you not to know."

'Together.' Pepper seems to have a problem avoiding colloquial language. Or perhaps she's just having trouble finding the correct label in the wide expanse between 'fucking like bunnies' and 'making love.'

Regardless, the way she's put herself out there a little allows him to do a little of the same.

"Amante, about earlier...I'm really sorry. I just…" He shakes his head. "This whole situation is like being stuck in a fog. You can't see where the danger is exactly, but the safest thing to do seems to be to keep everyone worth protecting in arm's reach."

Pepper blushes at the unspoken compliment. "I guess I just don't see as much danger in any of this as you do. I mean I knew Brian for months before this stalker of his appeared. I know he isn't necessarily the typical guy in his profession but…"

"But what?" Tony's voice is cautious

"I guess I just have trouble understanding why anyone would want to hurt him. Much less why that person would see a threat in me."

"In general, psychotics don't tend to be rational, Pepper. Besides, with no offense intended, how well do you really know Brian? There's a difference between being friendly enough to put your clients at ease, and showing them the entirety of your personality."

The point is made gently, but he doesn't miss the way Pepper flinches a little. Her lips quirk up though, before she speaks, "Politely translated – I'm probably speaking one way when I say he's my friend."

"What I'm saying is that you've seen enough of him to know you'd like to be friends with him, but you've still been paying him for sex and there has to be some sort of professional distance in there somewhere." He rubs her hand a little. "I don't want to see you hurt, Pepper. Even if it's because you find out that this guy isn't quite the same guy who's earned his living by putting you at ease."

Pepper actually chuckles, though the sound is a little hollow. "Tony if I've learned anything recently it's that everyone has parts of themselves that aren't easily seen." Hell even _she's_ not exactly whom she always pictured herself to be.

"Look, I know you care, I really do get that. But I'm a grown up who made my choices and can face up to the consequences. Just because some lessons are a little bit painful doesn't mean that they don't need to be learned."

"And what? I'm not allowed to try to keep you from being hurt?" Tony releases her hand.

She sighs a little. "It depends on what kind hurt you're talking about, I guess."

His smile is lopsided. "Any. Or at least, that's the theory."

"There's a word for life without any pain, Stark, it's called leprosy." She takes a deep breath, holding out a hand before he can protest. "Yes...I know that's probably a bit of an overstatement, but the concept still applies. If Brian's dead or if it turns out that he's really a jerk then it should hurt Tony. If it doesn't I might forget."

"Forget what?" Tony pushes his chair back onto two legs and waits. Why does she keep coming back to this? Why is she so hard on herself, unwilling to accept what she did as needed...or at most as a mistake that's ultimately forgivable?

"My life isn't just mine, Tony. And I'm not even just talking professionally. If this costs me my job, it also endangers Derek. How will I pay for his treatment? He'll have to go through the trauma of moving again."

She sighs, "I don't care how much I rationalized it. No amount of comfort I gained from Brian's visits gave me the right to jeopardize him this way. I can't afford to forget that again."

"You're not going to lose your job, Pepper," Tony says flatly. "You really think I'd let that happen?"

"Fine. Then what if the sniper hadn't missed yesterday, Tony? How could I have kept my promise to my sister if I'd ended up seriously wounded or dead?"

Tony sighs and braces his arms on the table. "And if you get hit by a car tomorrow? Pepper, for all we know the bastard who shot you has no idea that you've been getting more than massages. Just the fact that you've been spending time around Brian could be enough."

She shrugs a little, "What this stalker may or may not think isn't the point, Tony. It should hurt when you do something stupid. If it doesn't, you'll only do it again."

"If that's the way you feel about something that started innocently, then what do you plan to leave behind next, Pepper? By that token, are you going to quit working for me if anyone tries to hurt you because of your job?" he asks softly.

"Tony it's not anywhere near the same situation: the good you bring into my life far outweighs any bad. There's a difference between taking risks for things that you want and making sacrifices for things you need."

"You're telling me that you didn't need what you got from Brian."

Her jaw tightens, "I should have found a safer method of stress relief." She finally mutters stubbornly.

"Maybe." Tony shrugs. "But from where I'm standing, Pepper, you haven't done anything that horrible. You certainly haven't done anything irredeemably wrong."

"I broke the law, Tony. Not to mention I all but lied to your face. Maybe you're okay with that, but I'm really not."

Tony raises an eyebrow. "Are you that eager for some sort of punishment, Pepper? Because I sort of figured getting shot was punishment enough, but I'm sure I could come up with something if it would really make you feel better."

She groans, "God, you're impossible. Stop acting as if none of this matters. Tony, if I'd been the employer and one of my employees pulled this kind of shit, bullet wound or not I would have _fired_ the guilty party."

"For what? Being competent and on call every second of the day? For having needs and doing your best to fill them so you can more effectively help me?"

Tony swirls his spoon around in his soup. He wonders if he should ask Pepper to set her own punishment, like a parent might ask a child. He's also tempted to put her on mandated leave of absence just to see what her reaction would be.

Finally he sets his spoon down again and meets her eyes. "Look, what do you want me to do, Pepper? And I mean specifically." Because her refrain is getting old, it's underserved, and if she's going to demand some sort of consequence for her behavior, he'll give it to her just so that they can move past this. Dwelling on this isn't healthy.

"How about you start by letting me feel shitty when I think that I should instead of repeating over and over that I have no reason to feel guilty?"

He narrows his eyes at that. "What, so you're claiming that feeling like crap _is_ punishment?"

"Yes. And for the record it prevents reoccurance quite nicely."

Yeah, well, maybe it does, but it makes him feel like crap too. Her view is just so unforgiving and unfairly distorted.

Of course, he doesn't feel as if he's on firm enough ground to push her on this issue either. "Fine. But there's a limit on how much 'Pepper-bashing' I can take. So if you don't want me to try to convince you otherwise, stop trying to convince _me_ that you're an awful person." His voice is dry and as light as he can make it.

She nods after a moment, albeit a little reluctantly. "Fair enough. So how was your flight?" She seems almost relieved to change the subject. "If I check the answering machine is anyone from the PR department going to be calling to scream at me because you ended up on CNN?"

Tony snickers, "Pepper I land on CNN every time that I go out in the suit within the range of cameras. They'd keep the footage rolling if I just decide to roost in a tree. Besides," he shrugs. "You're supposed to be on medical leave, or vacation, or a partial leave of absence or something like that, remember. Let the PR department handle it on their own if anything comes up."

The edges of her lips curve up, "Uhm, I hate to break it to you, but I'm only on an extended break if people _acknowledge_ it, Tony. If they don't know I'm out of the office then they just keep calling me up on the Blackberry."

"So turn it off." He makes a mental note to send out a memo that Ms. Potts is going to be unavailable for at least the next four weeks.

"Excuse me?" Pepper just stares at him in clear disbelief.

"What? Did I mumble?" He actually looks a little amused. "Turn off your phone, Pepper. It won't actually kill anyone."

"But..." She actually stutters... He can see her mentally searching for a good excuse to refuse. "This is the number the people who watch Derek will call if there's an emergency, Tony..."

He shrugs, unmoved by the argument, "Give me the number. We can route it through Jarvis."

Pepper's hand actually clenches, instinctively and protectively, around the phone that's sitting by her soup bowl. He looks at that hand pointedly before meeting her eyes again. "I'm serious, Pepper. The deal was that you were going to take time off to heal. And if you're going to fight me over it, I'll expand my definition of heal to include more than just physical healing. You really don't want to make me play dirty."

Her hand pulls back from the phone reluctantly, "Tony, several members of the Board will have convulsions when they find out. It's been _four years_ since I last turned off my Blackberry."

"They can call me and yell then. They have my number."

"You don't answer when they call and you don't reply to your voice mails," Pepper says flatly.

"Generally," he says, sounding a little pressed. "But right now my PA's on vacation and since I refuse to hire a temp, I guess I'll have to pretend to be responsible and do those things for myself…." Pepper's still looking at him like he's absolutely crazy. He smirks, "What's the matter Gollum, scared of going without your 'precious?'"

Pepper growls at him but immediately shuts the device off. Before she can put it in her pocket - and out of his sight - he reaches over and snags it from her. He removes the battery with a casual kind of dexterity, then hands it back. "Just in case you have trouble sleeping without it," he tells her solemnly, though his eyes are laughing at her.

"Smart ass," she mutters under her breath.

"You betcha. Along with various other body parts."

"If you say so." Pepper pushes herself away from the table.

"Hey hold up there. I had a favor to ask before you go."

Pepper raises an eyebrow, but stops her retreat. "What kind of favor?" She asks suspiciously.

He shrugs a little, "Look I know that you don't want to be too helpful to the police, but would you at least work with Jarvis and make an accurate representation of Weber for _me_?"

She looks just a little bit suspicious, but she still nods. "Okay."

His smile is genuine. "Don't worry, Pepper I'm not looking to rat him out or anything. It's just that in my experience it's helpful to have an actual description of the person you're hunting."

Pepper opens her mouth at that, then closes it again and blushes. "Oh...right. Green eyes, curly brownish colored hair. Clean shaven...no mustache or anything... He's about five foot eleven. Looks to be in his late twenties or very early thirties."

"That's a good start," Tony says softly. "But we don't have to do this now if you don't want to." Through the floor to ceiling windows, the sun is sitting on the ocean's horizon.

She shakes her head. "No. It's okay. You do need to know. He's muscled but not particularly bulky. Oh and he's got a couple pretty unmistakable tattoos on both of his forearms, including japanese calligraphy on the right and a strange looking, short legged dragon that wraps around his left arm and across his left hand."

To Pepper's surprise, Tony looks...disconcerted by this fact.

There's a frown on his face as he looks out the windows for several seconds, and when he turns back to her there's a distance in his eyes that hadn't been there earlier.

"Pepper…The dragon's not spitting flames that wrap around this guy's thumb, is it?"

Pepper's mouth falls open... "Yes, actually. But how in hell did you know that?"

If she'd been surprised before by the look on his face, she's shocked now as he actually blushes and starts to look embarrassed. "Because it's not that big of a community, Pep," he murmurs without meeting her eyes.

She looks even more confused, "What in hell are you talking about?"

He shakes his head. "Look, I'm going to make a few calls. I think I can have your Brian tracked down in a couple of hours, if the right people are at home."

"You....you're saying you know him?" She says the words a little shakily.

Tony shrugs, apparently casually, but the rest of his body is still just a little on edge. "Like I said, Pepper. The BDSM community isn't that big in this part of L.A."

Pepper swallows hard, absorbing this. "What is...what's his actual name?"

Again Tony shrugs. "Don't know. ID isn't required. The name he gives though is Brandon, the times we've met at social gatherings."

She blinks at that. "Brandon? Oh. Oh okay." She's definitely feeling a little shell shocked, as she pushes herself back from the table. "I think that I'm going to go check on Tucker. I haven't heard him since I woke up."

Tony nods. "Don't forget your crutches. And while you're up you should take more Tylenol."

She nods again, though he's not exactly sure she's listening. "I...I'm gonna find Tuck," she repeats. "Maybe sit in the hot tub awhile. If the police arrive, please let me know."

"Of course." He doesn't offer her a hand, though he does wait to make sure she gets to her feet safely before he leaves the room. Then he heads back down to the shop. It's the only place he can really think to go.

He sinks down in his leather couch when he gets to the bottom of the stairs, runs an agitated hand through his hair and forces himself to exhale slowly.

An almost hysterical smile threatens to split his face. 'She's been meeting with Brandon?!'

"Well who'd have known, Stark, it's a small fucking world after all."


	14. Chapter 13

Pepper's neck deep in the master bedroom's hot tub before any of what Tony's just said sinks in.

'Tony knows Brian.' "Tony _knows_ Brian?!" She shakes her head in disbelief. Of all the things she hadn't expected to hear, this is at the top of the list. In what world exactly does this happen? Her Boss apparently used to rub shoulders with the man she's been paying for sex?

'Brandon.' Her subconscious whispers darkly, 'It's not Brian, it's _Brandon._' Her life has achieved a new kind of bizarre low. She's been sleeping with a man whose name is going to remind her for the rest of her life of how much she _loathes_ Beverly Hills, 90210.

Pepper sinks down lower in the tub as her mind rakes through all this new information. She doesn't.... This is almost too much for her to process on top of everything else. Except there's more of course. Because there's _always_ more.

She's also worried about Tony's reaction to realizing that he knows Brandon. It'd brought up walls that even her admitting she'd been paying for sex hadn't managed to raise between them.

For a moment Tony Stark had actually looked awkward and maybe a little afraid of this information. "But of why?" she mutters the question aloud. What about him knowing Brian had so actively disturbed him?

She doesn't know. And the truth is, she's too scared to ask. The way Tony had been looking at her, as if he was admitting to doing something wrong by saying he knew Brian...well she's just not ready to know. Because she knows a lot about Tony Stark. A _lot_. And he's never once appeared embarrassed or ashamed about any of it, never really tried to hide any of it on purpose. If this is something that makes him uneasy...

Well there's probably a damn good reason for it.

'Maybe he'll explain... The next time you talk to him.' After all from what he'd just indicated, he's only gone off to make a quick a phone call. She assumes once he's done that he'll come seek her out.

'Okay...so triage, Potts. Situation reassessment.'

Apparently all that had been necessary to locate Brian was to describe his unique tattoo design. 'Simple enough.' It was a memorable piece of body art. Unique enough, in fact that it had actually stuck out in Tony's memory.

She pauses for a moment. 'Wait a minute. This is _Tony_. He normally _doesn't_ take note of dumb shit like that unless it personally affects him.'

Unless… 'How did he say they'd met before...?' Some startling possibilities make her face start to heat.

To her knowledge, Tony had always preferred his conquests be female, but that doesn't mean that at point in his history he hadn't experimented with members of the opposite sex...

"If I've managed to sleep with the same man as Tony Stark, I'm going to have to shoot myself in the head." She mutters under her breath.

From the doorway Tony's voice is dry but amused, "Then you'll be relieved, Potts, to know you're spared, at least from that death." Her eyes shoot to him; he's leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. There's still a tightness around his eyes, though she doubts anyone who doesn't know him as well as she does would notice it.

"You look comfortable," he opines.

"I...Oh God, I'm sorry." She drops her head, blushing even brighter.

The tiniest bit of a smile reaches the corner of Tony's mouth, "For what? Implying I'm hot enough to attract one hundred percent of the population instead of just fifty? Don't worry, I'm choosing to take it as a compliment."

When she flames an even brighter red, his smile grows a little more genuine before fading. It's not as if her assumption is outside the ballpark, but that's not something he wants to pursue right now. She's got enough to sort through as it is.

Though he supposes that sooner or later, they're both due a chat about their personal sexual histories.

"I'm done with my calls, so I came to see if you still wanted to go out tonight to pick up some groceries. I realize it's getting late, and we could always get breakfast delivered and take care of it tomorrow..." He trails off and shrugs, leaving it up to her.

He knows from experience that even after a few hours of being told to take it easy, he's usually pretty damn stir crazy.

"Shopping? Yeah shopping would be good. I mean if you're not too tired. I know that unlike me you haven't gotten a nap in today."

"I slept later than you did," he reminds her softly. "Besides, how long can grocery shopping take?"

She shrugs, "It depends. Are we just going to the closest grocery store or can I convince you to take me to the organic and whole foods market I usually shop at? It's on the other side of town."

He raises one eyebrow. "Which store has the things you're actually going to eat?"

She shrugs, "I'll eat from either, I just think the stuff from the organic market tastes better. And there's more variety."

Which probably means, given her appetite lately, it's probably where they should head. "The organic place is fine," he concedes. "Go ahead and finish your soak. We can go whenever."

She shakes her head. "No. It is getting late. Better to go now. I don't know for sure if the market's open past midnight." She stands, a little shakily, before bracing herself against the wall. "Woah. Head rush. Would you mind bringing a towel from the rack over there to me?"

His eyes run over her dripping form for a split second before he pivots and reaches for a towel. When he turns back, his eyes stay above her shoulders.

She forces herself to act normally as she can despite the blush that is rising. "Shit...I completely forgot about laundry. I don't suppose you remembered to move over things to the dryer while you were in the basement?

"You have clean underwear, yes," he says dryly.

She snorts. "Thank you for that, though it's a clean shirt and bra I need at the moment."

"Well, some of those are dry too." He wraps the towel around her and lifts her out of the tub. "Got your feet under you?" he asks softly while his arms are still around her.

She nods. "I just get a little light headed, sometimes, if I stay too long in hot water. Something about expanded blood vessels, someone once told me."

His eyes are intense on her, even though he doesn't seem to be listening closely. "I'm going to go get your dry things," he eventually says. "Be careful."

She nods. "I think I'm going to skip the crutches while we're out - it's kind of hard to crutch and push a shopping cart at the same time."

"I'll push the shopping cart. You bring your crutches."

"The doctor said I only needed to use them the first 48 hours. It's been almost that long. And I'll be off it at least 8 hours once we get home."

It'll be 48 hours tomorrow morning at ten. His face tenses as he steps away, then he sighs heavily and just _looks_ at her. Not accusingly or anything, but his eyes seem to be asking for something that he doesn't vocalize.

She sighs to herself. 'It's only for a couple more hours Potts, and if you don't give in, he's going to hover the whole time.' "All right. Crutches tonight. But I'm burning these things in the workshop tomorrow morning."

"I wouldn't recommend it. Dummy will put the match out before it'll do any good." The tone in his voice and look on his face is definitely more relaxed.

She rolls her eyes. "Go grab a clean shirt for me, please. I need to find a suitable skirt among the stuff that's already clean." He nods and heads for the basement without any further comment…

When he returns to the upstairs Pepper's grumbling can be heard all the way down the hall from her bedroom. "Do _you_ fit comfortably? No of course you don't. Which leaves me with either the fabric that itches or the gift skirt from Lisa that looks like it came off of 'goth wannabe' Barbie."

"Am I allowed to have an opinion?" Tony sticks his head around the partially open door.

"As long as I'm allowed to ignore it if I choose to," she shoots back with a wry snort.

Tony looks at the two skirts laid out on the bed, and honestly can't really tell which one is "Goth chick Barbie." They're both loose cut and black. One's long and kind of school marmish, the other's black velvet and falls about to the knees.

"I'd recommend wearing the one that doesn't itch," he tells her as he comes in and sets her clean laundry on the bed.

She nods, "Yeah, that was pretty much my assessment of the situation too." She grabs a burnished red, peasant style shirt from the bed, along with a similarly colored satin bra, and slips both on. "Look if you don't mind I'm going to need you to spot check me once I'm dressed to make sure that the bandage covering my stitches doesn't show."

"Okay. Finish getting dressed and then I'll meet you out in the living room. I'm going to change into something less..." He looks down at himself. "Greasy."

She laughs. "Good idea. I'll track down my purse and meet you by the elevator."

88888888

Thirty five minutes, later, Tony is standing in the fresh produce aisle, staring at the selection, then his companion in disbelief. Pepper, who's leaning heavily on one crutch looks over at him in amusement. "_What_?"

"Pepper, I don't know what that is, but it's definitely not something that I'd willingly put in my mouth."

"No one said _you_ had to," Pepper says dryly as she puts several of the hairy fruits in a plastic bag. "They're called rambutans, Tony. They're sweet under all the hair. Kinda like how you get after working three days straight in the basement."

He blinks a moment. "Okay was that an insult or a compliment? Because at the moment I'm too blinded by terror to tell."

Pepper laughs softly and shakes her head. "I could say so many things right now..." She pauses. "By the way - that shake with yogurt that you raved about when we were in Dubai during our last visit? They're made with honey and those lumpy orange and yellow fruit over there."

Three seconds is all it takes for Tony Stark to overcome his culinary doubts and head straight for the fruit in question. She snorts, "Pick me up some Starfruit while you're there please. It sounds really good."

He comes back with a more than generous supply of each and starts pushing the cart further down the produce section. "Anything else you need, Pepper?"

She looks at the cart. 'Well I suppose I'm good for fruit, for now, but I'm a little short on vegetables."

Tony gapes first at her then at the cart in front of him. "Pepper you have corn, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, butter squash, okra, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, carrots and snow snap peas. How exactly do you define 'a little low?'"

"Lettuce and spinach would be nice. Kinda hard to make salads without them."

He snorts in disbelief, then shakes his head, "So is this your gentle way of trying to tell me you're that you're actually vegetarian?"

Pepper rolls her eyes. "Just because you prefer your vegetables in liquid form, Tony, doesn't mean that the rest of us haven't been taught to enjoy them..."

He put his hands on his hips. "Hey now, no picking on my blender magic - who's the one who maliciously addicted me to those damn algae shakes to being with?"

"That's because otherwise you wouldn't be eating veggies at all. And you like them, so why are you complaining?" Pepper carefully searches through bundles of spinach until she finds one she wants. "Actually now that I think about it, would you mind running back and grabbing me a decent sized cucumber for me as well?"

"Why?" he asks tartly, "I have better dildos at home."

"Tony!" Pepper just manages to hiss at him instead of yelp in surprise. He hadn't exactly said that quietly, and while there's just about no one around it was still unexpected...

Tony is completely unrepentant. "What? It's about the only thing that particular vegetable is good for."

"TMI, Stark. Will you just go get me one, please?" she asks the question in a normal tone, trying to ignore the fact that they're having this conversation in public.

He sighs then nods and trudges off in the instructed direction.

'Some things don't change, Potts,' she lectures herself firmly as she looks at the seafood selection. 'He was prone to the occasional inappropriate comment even before you started sleeping with him.' And it probably wouldn't be nearly so embarrassing if she didn't half suspect that she might actually be getting more action from a dildo than she would be from Tony in the very near future.

She groans as she examines a package of boiled salad shrimp. 'Great, now he's got you thinking that way too.'

She's not used to being so damn aware of the double meanings to everything. She's certainly not used to dawdling on her crutches behind the grocery cart just so she can stare at his ass.

When Tony returns, he brightens to see the fresh seafood. "Please tell me they have decent salmon."

"Wild coho and wild king," she confirms. "Do you have a preference?"

"Yes. Cooked on the barbeque, preferably with a side of rice pilaf."

Pepper rolls her eyes and grabs the Wild King. In her experience it's a little bit fresher. "So, since we're pretty much the only ones here, can I ask you how your call to your...friend... went?" Pepper feels awkward even asking. She doesn't know the protocol for this. There's just so many things right now that only partly make sense.

Tony shrugs as he takes possession of the cart again. "Got sent to voice mail. She's probably working."

"Am I out of line to ask you who she is?"

He shrugs again. "Someone who knows Brian/Brandon better than I do. If he's told anyone where he is, she'd be the person."

She nods a little. "So earlier speculations aside, can I ask you how you do know him?"

Tony looks at her out of the corner of his eye before he speaks equally blandly. "His Dom owns one of the clubs I used to regularly frequent. We've bumped into each other at social gatherings."

She blinks, and licks her lips. "Ah, okay then." Honestly...she doesn't know what else to say to that information.

The wry look Tony gives her tells her he knows exactly what she's thinking, and that he's not surprised...or particularly offended by her reaction.

"Where to next, Ms. Potts?" he asks after he grabs a pack of hamburger, one of chicken, and a really nice steak.

"Dairy. I assume you want yogurt to go with that fruit. They have plenty of it there." She pauses, "Tony is the fact that I didn't know that you sometimes visited said club why you got so quiet earlier? Because I'm really not upset."

She can't believe she's asking...can't believe the words are so easily coming. She's never imagined them talking about either of their sexual histories anywhere, much less on a late night run to the supermarket.

But maybe that's why it is working, she realizes. Because the mundane location makes it feel a little anticlimactic. That in combination with her honest concern for his state of mind is enough to make her push against her own comfortable boundaries a bit.

Tony steers them in the right direction before clearing his throat softly. "I think it's a lot to take in at once, Pepper. And that some counter cultures get an unfair reputation."

She nods in acknowledgement of that fact, but then finds herself smiling a little shyly before she says anything more. "Tony how long have I known you? Almost ten years now. Long enough that I know that you don't take pleasure in maliciously hurting people. It's none of my business what people do when there's mutual consent." She shrugs, "Besides, when you add to that the fact that I _also_ know how fast your mind works... well I can understand how when you get bored you might like to... change up the variables. I've always just assumed that you get a charge out of the process of experimenting."

His lips quirk in acknowledgement. "Meanwhile you prefer to play things safe." Tony says that as if that's all the answer he needs for being...discrete.

Her face turns thoughtful, "I guess. Though it really depends, I suppose, on your perspective."

Tony actually stops, turning to look at her with one eyebrow raised.

She shrugs, not quite able to meet his eyes. "You can be curious about all kinds of subjects, Tony but never really have the time or a safe opportunity to explore them."

He watches her for a few more seconds, swallows hard, then starts pushing the cart again. "As enthralling as that statement is, Amante, the dairy section probably isn't the best place to start this conversation." He really doesn't want to walk around the rest of the store with an obvious erection

She nods. "I just didn't want you to think that I'm going to judge you." She chuckles, "Okay...well I might if I ever find you've had a girlfriend named Dolly."

"Inflatable or non?" He asks her completely straight faced.

"Anthony Stark!" She rolls her eyes toward the ceiling

"What?" He looks around, completely unrepentant. "You're the one who brought it up. No one's going to overhear."

"I can not believe you just said that to me."

"You can't believe that I keep slipping sex toys into the conversation? How long have you known me, Pep?"

Her eyes narrow a little, "Yeah well I have a very strict rule about not sleeping with people who've slept with anything that stands on four feet. Whether it's inflatable or not."

"Don't worry, Pepper. The closest I've gotten to anything woolly is a particular woman who didn't shave her legs."

"European?" She asks, a little amused.

"Hippie," he corrects.

She laughs aloud. "You're telling me that at some point you actually slept with a flower child?"

"She was hot, Pepper. And made unbelievably good brownies."

"Hot huh?" She regards him skeptically, "Yeah well so are jalapeño peppers. For your sake I hope you haven't ever slept with any of them."

"The only Pepper that I've slept with isn't green…more of a natural redhead. She for the record is plenty hot enough." Tony replies absently as he tries to decide between plain and strawberry yogurt.

She rolls her eyes. "I suppose I walked right into that one."

"Yeah." Tony grabs a tub of both for the sake of experimentation, muttering under his breath, "Doesn't make it any less true though."

Pepper meanwhile starts scanning the cooler's selection of organic puddings. "Damn it. Once again they're sold out of 'Dark Chocolate Wet Dream.' I can never win." She sighs deeply before grabbing another container, this one labeled, of all things 'Dulche Deleche Orgasm.'

"Pepper...?" Tony looks at the tub of pudding than the woman beside him. "Is that a subtle hint, there, or are you just out to torture me?"

She grins as she registers the name on the container... "I don't know what you mean, Stark. What, you don't ever grab a snack before bed?"

"I prefer to snack in bed." Tony tells her primly, then he takes the pudding from her and puts it in the cart before leaning in to steal a kiss.

She giggles as their lips brush lightly, then groans and shivers as she instinctively leans in closer. "I suppose I can be convinced to share... But be warned this stuff is phenomenal, and I'm _not_ sharing my spoon."

"Probably for the best. You might find it a little…chilly against your skin." His hand ghosts over her ass as he presses himself tightly against her, then he sighs heavily and pulls away.

She looks a little guilty. "I suppose given our current situation I should probably be nice and stop taunting you."

"In public? Probably a good idea." He glances at her through his eye lashes – which she as to admit are pretty phenomenal. "But keep in mind that when we're in private it's another matter entirely. Just be warned that I might reciprocate."

She nods, but doesn't say anything more on the subject. "I think that all that's left for this trip is the bakery. Are you in the mood for rye or sourdough bread?"

"Rye." Tony reclaims the cart and starts pushing in that direction.

"They usually have some great fresh loaves in stock."

"Do they have pie?" he questions hopefully.

"Yes. Do you want apple or cherry?"

Any reply Tony might have given is cut off by the sudden jarring trill of a cell phone. He looks a little surprised at first, but then his eyes change - become serious - and he half turns away as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. "Stark here. Thanks for returning my call so quickly."

888888888

Tony knows Pepper feels impatient, that she wants to know now what he's found out - even though he's just gotten onto the phone and hasn't quite gotten through all the pleasantries yet. He meets her eyes before half turning his back on her so she won't distract him. He can hear her sigh in frustration, but otherwise Pepper goes silent.

Cassie Tidwell's voice is calm but a little bemused as she speaks over the phone. "Yeah well, as a general rule I turn off my cell phone during our eleven p.m. rush, but your message sounded pretty damn urgent."

"Fairly. I hear your boy's gotten himself into some major trouble. Wanted to offer my assistance."

Cassie snorts. "When is Brandon ever _not_ in trouble, Stark?"

"This is more than run of the mill, trouble, Cass. Don't play the game with me. At least one person other that knows him has now been _shot _because of what he's gotten himself into…"

Tony tries hard to keep his anger out of his voice because logically he knows that Brandon isn't responsible for any of this, and more importantly that his anger will probably just upset Pepper. Some of it sneaks through though, in the way that his words aren't as light as they normally would be. Tony's back is fully to Pepper now, though he doesn't really anticipate her allowing that to stay true for long. Yes, he's nettling Cass, and yes, it feels good to nettle _someone_.

There's a sharp pause at the other end of the line. "Someone's been _shot_?" Cass repeats after a carefully indrawn breath. "And you're sure that this links back to Brandon?"

"Yeah. My PA has been getting threatening calls demanding that she cut off all contact with him," Tony says dryly. "She's been seeing Brandon twice a month for back problems. As Walt Disney once put it, it's a small, small world…"

"God, please tell me she's okay. Brandon's going to flip out if there's been a verifiable casualty other than him in this mess."

"Pepper's got stitches but she's otherwise fine. She's actually the reason that I'm calling.

She's worried about Brandon. She wanted to confirm that he's alive and doing all right."

Just as expected, Pepper has inched around until she's in his line of vision again. This time he doesn't turn away, just meets her eyes and tries not to get jealous of the concern in her eyes. "Where is he?" He repeats the words she mouths to him silently.

"Somewhere safe," is Cass' lukewarm reply.

"I'm not sure 'somewhere safe' is going to be enough to satisfy Pepper," Tony remarks. A statement Pepper confirms with a shake of her head.

"Yeah well, it's all I'm offering at present, because Brandon's skittish as hell right now, and unlikely to respond well to company."

"Something happen?"

"Yes. Somebody got into his apartment two nights ago. The attacker ripped out a good hank of his hair and broke at least one of his ribs with a baseball bat before his roommate got home from work and interceded."

'Shit.' Tony eyes Pepper, wondering if there's any way he can tell Pepper this information without causing her to stay up all night worrying and blaming herself. "They get a description of who was behind it?"

"Male. Mid twenties. If Brian knows him, he's denying it."

"Really." Tony can't remember if Pepper said the voice leaving her threatening messages was a man or a woman. Though, he supposes that doesn't really matter at the moment anyway. "Sounds like he's a target. Bad time to leave him unsupervised."

"He's not. At present, another friend of hours is watching over him when I'm not." Cassie's voice is a mixture of irritation and concern as she says this. "He's got one hell of a headache right now. I'm hoping he may be a little more open to sharing once his concussion clears up. Of course once he does recover enough to argue, I'm going to have my hands full just keeping him from slipping out the side window and booking himself a flight to New York. He's pretty determined to be done with this city."

Tony's smile is pretty sharp-edged. "If you're worried about him bolting, I know someplace where it'd be pretty easy to lock him down. Though if you haven't literally resorted to that yourself..."

"He's too freaked out and beat up at the moment for that option. Not that I haven't been tempted." Cassie sighs. "Half of his agitation right now is that he's afraid of spreading his trouble to his friends."

"Yeah well it's a little late to prevent that. Look, honestly I'm pissed because my...Pepper..." Tony shakes his head at his own lameness. "...got dragged into this. And instead of beating the crap out of him, I'm willing to hand him over to her. Watching him suffer through her tender mercies sounds like pretty good revenge to me. Not to mention, no one is getting into my house without my knowing about it."

This causes a snort of genuine amusement from Cass. "It's a tempting offer. I could really use the backup," she sighs, "The normal rules don't really apply right now, and he's barely talking to me."

"See, that won't bother me." Pepper's looking upset and hopeful at the same time, which is quite a combination.

"You say that now. I dare you to say it after spending the next 48 hours with him. I swear that sometime within the last with six months Brandon's morphed into the most stubborn passive aggressive in history."

Tony doesn't reply in the way he really wants to, which is to tell Cass he's currently in love with a passive aggressive who probably makes Brandon look like a whimpering pussy.

"Don't worry about it. You're welcome to visit as often as you like. Meanwhile if he gets too hard to handle, I'll just slip into a suit then go glower at him. That should work. You know he's always been less scared of you than me."

Cassie snorts. "Well that much is depressingly true."

Tony rolls his eyes. "So we have an agreement. Do you want us to meet you now or at closing?"

"Come whenever. We're not open that many more hours, and Jace and some of the others will be thrilled if you show up for a couple of hours. After all it's been almost a year since most of us last saw you."

"Busy year," Tony excuses. "We'll see you in a couple hours then, just as soon as we can finish our grocery shopping and get the food put away."

It's going to make for a long night, but it's not as if he's going to get Pepper to sleep before she sees Brandon, now that she knows she gets to.

"We're still not in the best part of town, Stark. Be careful what vehicle you bring and plan to park out in front on the street."

"Of course. See you soon, Cass." Tony hangs up, and waits for the questions he can see piling up behind Pepper's eyes to spill.

"Is he...?"

"He's hurt, but he's alive. He's somewhere safe. We're meeting Cassie at her club after we take care of the groceries and she'll take us to where they've stashed for the time being. After that assuming he consents, he and Cassie both are going to stay at the mansion until we catch whoever's the problem."

The sheer relief in Pepper's eyes is practically physical. Her hands tighten around her crutches, and she bites her lip hard as she physically starts to shake. "Hey," Tony says, with no small amount of alarm. He slips his arms around her and pulls her close, supporting her weight easily. "It's alright, Pepper. It's going to be alright."

It doesn't stop Pepper from shaking. "I thought...god, I was preparing myself to find out that he's dead." Pepper doesn't understand why she's starting to hyperventilate now that she knows that he _isn't_.

"Well, he's not. And in a little bit you'll be able to fuss over him to your heart's content." Tony can't help the dry tone in his voice. Does he _want_ Pepper fussing over another man? Not particularly. Does he suspect it's going to make her feel better? Yes. And that's why he's allowing this.

That and Brandon damn well deserves to have to put up with Pepper at her most overprotective.

It takes him a moment to register the rapid shallow breathing of the woman in front of him. Pepper's pupils are dilated and she's turning a sickly shade of gray. "Pepper?" Tony brushes her hair out of her face. "You're scaring me here. Take a deep breath, Amante and _breathe_."

"Somewhat _sho_t me yesterday, Tony." The words are disbelieving.

"Yes," he says softly. It's what he's been trying to hammer into her ever since yesterday morning, but he'd never wanted to see her react like this.

"I'm _tired_ of being shot at." Her voice is heavy with tears. It looks like the news of Brandon's safety was enough to make the dam in front of her emotions finally break.

"I don't blame you." He wraps his arms around her again and starts running his hands up and down her back.

It takes a moment or so, but she wraps her arms around him in return, squeezing tightly. "I'm declaring tomorrow national 'don't shoot at Pepper day." She shudders as her fist curl into the fabric of his shirt where it rests on her back.

He doesn't say anything, just tightens his arms now that he knows he's welcome.


	15. Chapter 14

Tony parks the car and glances over at Pepper, who's studying the neighborhood around them intently. She's been quiet ever since they left the grocery store. Once they'd gotten home, she'd helped to unpack the bags, but had agreed to sit down and rest while he put them all away. The only time he'd even gotten something like a close reaction out of her was when he'd gone to change. In the past, his visits to Cass's club have always followed a pattern. There is of course a place for leather and chains and boots, but that's never really been what he's about. No, when he goes to the club, it's always dressed in his best suit. Until the Ironman suit, there was nothing like fine Italian wool to leave him feeling powerful and in control.

Pepper though, had looked stunned for a moment when he'd come out in a black pinstripe, adjusting the knot on his crimson silk tie. She hadn't said anything though, and after a few seconds, her eyes had narrowed and she'd surveyed from head to toe by inches. When her face finally cleared, he knew she'd puzzled things out, had figured out the correlation between the wielding of corporate power and that of a more intimate variety.

"Do I need to change?" she'd asked softly, looking at her own clothes in comparison to his.

He'd shaken his head at her. "No, unless you're cold or feeling otherwise uncomfortable. But you might want to leave the crutches behind. I don't anticipate us being on our feet for long, and they might be more of a hindrance than a help in a crowd." And that had more or less been that.

Now, as he opens Pepper's door and gives her a hand out of the car, he can't help but think that no matter what SHE understands, HE doesn't know what she's thinking behind that neatly placid expression.

All he has at the moment, is her words and her body language. The latter in particular isn't frightened, but it's definitely cautious as he helps her to stand.

"So this is the place?" She asks the question softly. Her brow knots, "Is it safe to park here? I'd hate to see one of your babies get carjacked, especially since this time you'd be the one filling out the paperwork if it happened."

"Yes, this is the least flashy of my cars. And it's also the one with the best alarm." Tony tries to speak reassuringly. "I've been here quite a few times, Pepper, and I've yet to come back to anything worse than a few scratches in the paint."

She nods. "Just checking. Trying to prevent extra work."

He keeps one arm around her waist as they walk down the block, and then cross the street. In front of them is an unassuming building with a distressed sign over the door that says "Ties That Bind."

Pepper snickers when she sees the club's name. "Point for creativity on whoever named the place."

Tony shrugs, "That would be Cass and Brandon – both have always had unique senses of humor. Cass started out as a bartender here, but after a few years she bought the original owner out. Now this place is her baby. She practically lives here most days."

Pepper nods her understanding as Tony reaches for the door, and then ushers her through it with a hand at the small of her back. If she doesn't object, he's going to keep her as close as possible. He doesn't think she'd actually get hurt here or anything, but they are here on business more or less. Besides, she's already hurt and that's enough to have him on edge.

Thankfully Pepper isn't protesting. In fact the way she's limping just slightly and leaning against him without having to be encouraged to gives him just enough self confidence to wrap one arm around her waist.

"Leg hurting?" He questions.

She shrugs. "Yeah, it's throbbing a little. But then I haven't put any weight on it for the past few days. The muscles are a little bit out of practice."

"Well, this shouldn't take too long, and then we'll be back in the car," he murmurs in her ear as he carefully looks around them.

Nothing's changed. This front part of the club is still just as tasteful as ever. The lighting's more intimate than might be par for most nightclubs, and the seating more scattered, but this part of the building has always been for...mingling.

Thankfully it's also not looking particularly crowded tonight. Just a few groups of couples on sharing a couch and one or two people sitting on stools at the bar.

"It's...nice." Pepper blushes after she speaks, "I guess that I shouldn't really be surprised. I mean, I know your tastes." Tony's always been to much an engineer to have much tolerance for tacky.

"Probably a little too well," he murmurs as he guides her towards the far end of the bar.

That causes Pepper to raise an eyebrow in response, but she chooses to remain silent, following without protest until they reach the polished counter, and then gasping a little in surprise as Tony lifts her onto a comfortably padded barstool with a hand on each of her hips.

"You thirsty? They have a pretty good selection," he informs her very softly.

"I uh...sure." She has a hard time looking away from his eyes. Intellectually, she's aware of the fact that Tony's strong. But every time he does something like this so casually, she's a little bit surprised. And a little bit...excited.

The corners of his lips turn up a little. He speaks without looking away. "Hey Joe, please get the lady an extremely light on the Kahlua mudslide and we'll also take an order of your famous honey-barbeque wings, please."

The man at the other end of the bar has, been busy wiping down the bartop, but at Tony's jovial words he looks over and his eyes noticeably widen.

"Nos." The smile that crosses his features threatens to bisect his face.

Tony sees Pepper's eyebrows raise from the corner of his eye, but he ignores it for the time being. "Good to see you too, Joe. If Cass is available, will you let her know I'm here?"

"Sure thing. Did you want your usual to drink with the hotwings too or just the death by chocolate for your friend?"

"Nothing for me. I'm driving tonight." Tony realizes after he says it that his words could be taken in more than just a literal sense - especially given their current environment - but shrugs it off.

If Pepper didn't catch the double meaning he sees no need to embarrass her further by mentioning it.

"Nos?" Pepper murmurs under her breath once Joe turns away to begin preparing their order. Before Tony can reply, though, he's interrupted by an excited shriek as a woman with bright purple hair comes through a door near the end of the bar.

"Tony?" she squeals in excited disbelief as she all but skips toward him, tackling him in a hug.

Tony's face is half amusement and half longsuffering as he endures the embrace. "Hello Gracie." Pepper's amused at the way he allows the woman to fuss with his tie and then with his hair before he steps away. "Good to see you Sprite. You still with Jace?"

She nods. "Yeah." Then she raises one hand, flashing a wedding ring. "Though as you can tell, I'm no longer the only one of us who's insane."

"When'd you two get married?" Tony leans against the bar at Pepper's side, his hand resting next to hers at the bar. Then he looks at her with a little surprise as if he'd forgotten she's there. "Pepper." He scrubs his face. "Pepper Potts, meet Gracie Wells. Though I suppose it's Anderson now isn't it?"

"Wells-Anderson, thank you very much. And we got married two months ago, when we fond out in another five months there'll be a Grace or Jason shaped sproglet." Pepper watches as the five foot something woman turns to her, sizing her up for a moment, before extending a hand. "It's actually Mary Grace. But by all that's holy please be merciful, and just call me Gracie."

"A pleasure to meet you," Pepper murmurs as she shakes the other woman's hand. "How long have you known Tony?"

"Oh god, years now. Since he first wandered in here in diapers."

"Literally or metaphorically?"

Tony shoots Pepper a look. "Diapers might be a little bit of an overstatement," he says with just a touch of arrogance - probably as a result of being set upon by TWO women. "I was at least 23."

"He was a baby," Gracie confides to Pepper again, "Albeit a hot one you really hoped you'd get a chance to play with or even just pet."

Pepper sweeps a teasing gaze over Tony. "I'm sure," she murmurs.

Tony looks less impressed. "You're pretty lucky, Sprite, that Jace wasn't out here to hear you say something like that."

Gracie snickers, "Don't be so sure. You act as if he might not have wanted to pet you too." She grins impishly. "You were such a pretty boy before you grew the goatee."

To Pepper's supreme amusement, Tony's ears turn a burning red at that, though his face otherwise doesn't change other than he raises a skeptical eyebrow.

Tony notices with gratitude that Joe sets an expensive bottle of water near his elbow. Opening it and taking a sip gives him enough time to get settled. "I don't suppose you've seen Cass. We were supposed to meet her here."

"She's in the back left room. Should be out very shortly. Some newcomers were causing a bit of a scene."

"Mmm...guess we'll wait out here then." He looks at Pepper, "Cass has a very good way of discouraging people from repeating mistakes made on her grounds. She yanks them into the back room - in whatever state of undress they might be in - and then gives them a verbal dressing down that's been known to make even some pretty hardcore doms grovel."

"The poor idiots picked a bad night to piss her off too. She's been a little on edge lately."

"I can imagine," Tony mutters, sneaking a glance at Pepper who's for all intents and purposes, taking a sip of his drink. He doesn't miss the tension in her body though, or the watchfulness in her eyes. And mainly she seems to be watching him, following his cues whether they've vocal or physical.

Gracie jerks her head to the door she'd just exited out of. "Hey, Jace, Mark, Katie and Slink are all in the room on the right. After I get back from the bathroom you two oughta come join us till Cassie gets free. You can make introductions."

"Pepper?" Tony looks over her, allowing her to make the choice. They'll stay wherever she's most comfortable.

Pepper looks a little panicked for the space of a heartbeat. "Uhm...what about the mudslide, Tony? And your hot-wings?"

Before Tony can reply Gracie snorts, "No problem. Joe I'm dragging the prodigal son and the hottie into the blue room with me. Please make sure their order follows them in to the room when it's done."

"It's okay," Tony whispers to Pepper as he helps her off the stool. "If I remember correctly, the Blue Room is set up as a Parisian salon. Pretty PG. Of course, I didn't spend a whole lot of time in there...to much like normal life for me."

His lopsided grin invites her to smile with him. She does, albeit a little bit shyly, allowing him to hold open the door for her once Gracie returns from the bathroom...

The room Pepper finds herself led into is definitely not what she expects to see. It's a mixture of tall gilded mirrors, silken tapestries, and amazingly detailed antique moldings. There are several plants in one corner, beside an impressive looking fireplace that's burning away merrily. The floor is parquet, though spread with large and plush looking rugs; the only light seems to be coming from candles lit in sconces on the wall. The furniture is simple but elegant - all of it obvious antique.

There are several couches and chairs, in a rough half circle around the fire, when they enter the room, the occupants inside turn. A tall regal looking woman smiles deeply. "It's wonderful to see you, Tony." She rises gracefully to her feet; Pepper notes her suit – an elegant designer one that probably costs almost as much as Tony's, though it's linen rather than silk.

"Kathryn." Tony nods at her respectfully. "Good to see you, too. How have you and yours been?"

Kathryn smiles, "I've been well. As for Slink and Mark, well they've been good tonight, so they can answer that for themselves."

"I'm doing great Nos..."

"I am well, Stark." The two men answer, almost in unison. One is tall blond and lanky, the other black as night and built like a body builder. Together, they seem the literal representations of light and dark. Like Kathryn their clothing is fine. It's in direct contrast to the other man in the room, who is wearing a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Pepper just barely keeps her eyes from widening as she realizes both men are with Kathryn. What she can't help is from glancing at Tony. God, she can barely handle ONE of him. What if he was part of a set? Or had a brother?

God she's getting tired just considering that concept.

Tony glances down at her, and the quirk of his lips tells her he's got a good guess at the direction of her thoughts.

"Everyone," he says after clearing his throat. "This is Pepper Potts. And Pepper, this is everyone, more commonly known as..."

Pepper listens as he points everyone out. Mark and Slink are indeed with Kathryn - or Katie. Apparently it depends on the man addressing her apparently. Jace is easy to figure out by the way Grace settles comfortably in his lap. The man - a tall, lanky redhead - kisses his wife's cheek affectionately as she drapes herself atop him, "I let you go to use the bathroom, and you bring back not one but two pleasant surprises, Sprite. Remind me to properly reward you for it later."

Gracie giggles, then motions to a chair. "Come on you two, sit down. Katie, if you and the boys don't mind moving to the other sofa? I notice Pepper's limping a little. Would it help to be able to elevate your leg?"

"That would be nice," Pepper says softly. She thought she'd hidden the way she's leaning just a little bit more on Tony, but apparently not.

He helps her over to the sofa, then sits down beside her with his arm stretched out behind her along its back.

"I couldn't help but notice that you finally made an honest woman out of Gracie here," he Tony tells Jace, hoping to take some of the focus off Pepper.

Jace chuckles "Sooner or later Stark, we all surrender to our destiny. I knew she was my fit years ago. It was just a matter of timing and necessity."

"Hey - don't let Gracie freak you out with her creepy mind reading thing," Slink speaks up from his new place on the floor in front of Kathryn. "She's a nurse when she's not here - works in the brain injury unit downtown. As of such she's got freaky ass radar for any one hiding any kind of injury."

"I know I always found it ironic," Tony says dryly.

"Why?" Pepper asks before she can stop herself. Tony just looks at her, waiting for her to figure that one out on her own. It takes a moment but then the implications of the probably answer hits her – that the two probably get rough with each other - and Pepper finds herself blushing hotly.

The sight brings a low chuckle from Jace as he shifts in his chair. "Well I think I just figured out part of why you've brought this one to meet us after so long away, Stark. You always did have a fondness for the ones who blush like she does."

Tony looks away from Pepper and eyes Jason. "Well, that might be part of it. A very small part because she doesn't blush very often anymore. Too many years around me."

Pepper finds herself speaking in spite of herself. "As a rule, Mr. Stark, you do tend to require people to grow a thick skin if they're to survive in your world."

"No I don't. Most people just find it an easier alternative to trying to get me to act otherwise." This makes the rest of the group chuckle.

"'Mr. Stark,' Nos?" Slink snorts under his breath. "Since when have _you_ been into the ultra-formal thing?"

Tony glances at Pepper, wondering if she'd be alright with him mentioning that they work together, and decides she might let him say it even if she's not totally comfortable with it. So instead he says,

"Half the time, if she doesn't mean it as a curse, she means it as an endearment."

"And since he's not fond of my real name – Virginia - he sometimes calls me Ms. Potts. It's just a habit for both of us I guess."

"Nicknames are funny that way...they are often the most personal when they're also deeply individual." Kathryn is the one to speak this time, her hand stroking rhythmically through Mark's dark hair as she does so. "Of course they can at times be a bit embarrassing as well. As Anthony can attest."

"I was wondering about that," Pepper admit. "You guys call him Nos?"

"Not always, Pepper. But generally yes."

"Nos - as in the race car fuel," Gracie chimes in with a wide smile. "Which burns wonderfully hot if you can handle the friction. Though not many can. Tony earned the nickname years ago from Jared and Cassie."

"Jared?" Pepper asks when Tony doesn't quite meet her eyes after she gets her explanation of his nickname. It's like they're back at the house this afternoon. She'd thought they'd cleared up that she's not uncomfortable with his past, but maybe not.

Irregardless it's something they'll have to handle later.

"Jared was a friend back I met not long after college, Pepper. He's the one who introduced me to this wily bunch, though at the beginning it was just him, Cassie, Brian and Katie. Jace and Gracie were still too young yet, and Kathryn was still living in New York."

Gracie nods, her face growing sober. "Jared was…awesome is the best word. Unfortunately we lost him almost five years ago. Stage four lymphoma. He fought, but just couldn't beat it."

Pepper murmurs the proper sympathies and glances at Tony. This wasn't how she'd expected things going. She'd thought they'd more or less be in and out. Of course, she'd also half expected to end up trying to ignore at least half a dozen couples caught in various states of R rated activities. So frankly, she's completely lost.

Tony must catch at little of that feeling, because his hand settles on the back of her neck, rubbing soothingly. "This is Pepper's first time in a place like this," he announces to the silence. "I think she's still trying to decide what she thinks."

Kathryn smiles at her, "I'm sorry if this is… less tantalizing… than you expected. While as a rule the black room is usually the one reserved for more intense scenes, we already finished up most of our play tonight in here." She shrugs. "I think we're all a little tired, it's been an unsettling week, so we're mostly sticking to socializing."

"It's all right. In truth I didn't really know what to expect," Pepper says. "I hadn't really thought about it before today."

"Well let me give you a hint." Kathryn rolls her eyes heavenward, "It's pretty much exactly like and nothing like any of these kinds of clubs that they show on TV."

When Mark finally speaks again it's in the same bass voice. "Yes, some people come here to find partners and sometimes to seek physical pleasure. But the regulars like us also come for the chance to socialize with like minded and nonjudgmental company."

"That said," Jace chimes in, winking at her, "I know we must be boring you into a coma. If you're looking for some fun and want to leave us old fogies to our scrabble games and explore some other rooms, we'll totally understand."

"Mmmm...I don't think Pepper's quite ready for that." Tony's grin is lopsided. "Especially after all that 'Nos' talk. I'm lucky she hasn't run away screaming yet the way you talked me up. Besides," he continues after a moment. "The truth is we're mostly here tonight to talk with Cassie."

Gracie sits upright in her husband's lap and nods. "Tony...before you do...have you been warned about the complications she's dealing with right now with Brandy?"

"That's actually why we're here. Pepper's a friend of his, and she got worried when he dropped off the map. I'm just doing my part to help her get a good night's sleep by being able to stop worrying."

Kathryn nods, "That's admirable enough." The woman sighs and shakes her head again, "Brandon's gotten himself into some very serious trouble, Anthony. It's work related – and only complicated further by the fact that Cassie hates his new job."

"Yeah, well, I'm not too fond of his job either," Tony says dryly as he resists the urge to look at Pepper. "However, that's neither here nor there at the moment."

"I just know you've been away from the gossip chain awhile, Anthony, and given that she's already pissed off by what happened a few minutes ago, I felt it only appropriate to warn you she may not be in the best of moods."

"I've already talked to her on the phone and she sounded like she was ready to flay someone then. If I wasn't me, I'd probably be worried."

This brings another round of soft chuckles before Kathryn nods her head in acknowledgement. Gracie chimes in again. "I guess it doesn't hurt that even if she'd deny it she's a little scared of you."

"We're all scared of him, Sweetling," Jace informed his wife dryly.

"Aw, that can't be right," Tony jokes. "You scared of me, Potts?"

"Terrified, Sir." Pepper makes no effort at all to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, earning her a large swell of highly amused hoots. 'Scared for, yes. Scared of? Not since the day that we met.'

"And that would be the other part of the reason I like Pepper," Tony says contentedly.

Jace's eyes take on a new respect as he studies Pepper more intently. Then he whistles, "Who'd have thought, Stark. Someone who actually dishes you right back your shit."

"A miracle, I know...but there's someone for everyone in the galaxy," a tired but throaty female voice speaks up from the doorway.

"Speaking of shit, you look like it," Tony says with enough sympathy to take the sting out of the words. He gets up from the couch. "When's the last time you got a full night's sleep, Cass?"

The look Cass gives Tony makes it very clear she thinks he's an idiot to have even asked the question. Which given Pepper's timetable of trouble earlier, he supposes it is.

"I think I've slept maybe three hours a night for the last several days...and before that...well I'm currently short of one second shift bartender." She shrugs, "I'm coping, though if you cut me right now, I'll probably bleed coffee."

"Do I need to offer you a place to stay tonight too?" he asks the question with only a touch of sarcasm.

"Depends. If certain people are being mule headed enough I'm probably going to have to come with you."

"And if I get stubborn?" Tony raises an eyebrow. Depending on her reaction, he might just let her go home and get some sleep. However, if she doesn't get her back up at his implication...well it'll be a good indication her lack of sleep has reached dangerous levels.

'Maybe I should consider opening a health spa at the house,' he sighs to himself as he waits for Cass's reaction. None of the women in his life lately are even remotely well rested.

"It probably wouldn't be a bad idea if you can spare the room," Cass admits, albeit reluctantly, "Brandon's been having nightmares. I've got better chance than you of waking him up without getting hit in the attempt."

"Alright then. Slumber party at Tony's house," he murmurs. "Cass, this is Pepper Potts." Tony steps aside so that the two women can see each other. "Pepper, Cass Tidwell."

Pepper's smile is both tired and a little awkward, but nonetheless she takes the other woman's hand. "Thank you for being willing to see us this late. I know I'm probably paranoid but I got worried when Brandon stopped answering his phone."

Cass nods. "With good reason, apparently." She looks at Tony. "If you don't mind, I'm ready to go. I've been on my feet for the last fifteen hours. Now that the rush is over, I can leave Joe to it."

Tony nods, then reaches out a hand to pull Pepper to her feet. She stands willingly, albeit with a small groan of pain.

"Hey..." He steps closer and wraps his arms around her waist. "Do you want me to carry you back to the car, Amante?" he whispers for her ears only. His eyes are concerned. "I should have had you bring at least one of your crutches."

Pepper blushes, just a little bit, but then she gently shakes her head. "I'm fine, Tony. Mostly just tired. I agree with Cassie, let's go. The soon we're all passed out and snoring the better off we'll all be."

"If you're sure..." He steps back so that she can move forward, but his arm is still firmly around her waist.

Kathryn speaks, "Tony, if it would help I'm quite sure that Slink would be ecstatic to pull up the car around to the curb in front of the club for the both of you. It may be better to minimize the distance she has to cover."

Tony digs his keys out of his pocket and tosses them to the rising man without looking. "I'm parked down the block in my usual space."

"Sweet. Be right back," Slink takes the keys and heads to the door with an eager smile on his face.

Pepper, Cassie and Tony begin their own trek toward the main exit. Pepper makes it about ten steps before she realizes she should have taken her boss up on his offer of a ride when he made it…

She leans in and murmurs simply, "Tony, my leg is about one step from buckling and sending me to the floor."

He scoops her up without another word being exchanged. "Reason to adore Pepper number 36: she puts up with my propensity to be overbearing." The comment is made for the room at large, giving him the credit for the action and allowing Pepper to maintain face.

Cassie falls into step beside Tony as the others call out there goodbye. Her voice is soft pitched as she speaks to Pepper. "Don't feel bad. You're walking a lot sooner than I would be in your situation. I'd have shut down the club for at least a _month_ after being shot in the leg."

"Yeah well, I'm not doing much better. Tony's insisting I take a break from work," Pepper mutters back.

"And this is a bad thing? In my experience chivalry's a dying art. For God's sake please encourage it."

Pepper makes a small grumbly sound in her throat and Tony grins. "Pep's just not used to having this much free time on her hands, Cass. I'm afraid that it's making her restless."

"I'm 32, and I've been all but grounded. He actually took the battery out of my Blackberry." Pepper's voice is unmistakably aggrieved

"Hun, if that's all he's taken, I'd consider myself lucky. Tony plays _dirty_. He actually told me to strap Brandon to the bed to keep him from bolting."

Pepper raises an eyebrow at that, regarding Tony thoughtfully. Then she rests her head against his shoulder, wondering how many more days they'll have to be lovers before she'll stop blushing almost every time she as much as looks directly at him.

They step outside just as Tony's car pulls up. "Where are you parked, Cass?"

"I'm not. I didn't drive myself to the club tonight. I knew I'd probably be here too late to drive safely home on my own, so I had Jace and Gracie pick me before shift since I knew they were coming to the club anyway. Joe volunteered last night to drop me back at home after we closed."

"Damn," Tony mutters. "Do you have alternative transport for Brandon? Because while you're going to fit in the mini-seats back there, he's not."

"Yeah, no problem - my car is at the apartment. Well, assuming you don't mind just switching over vehicles until tomorrow morning. As I said I'm probably too jittery to drive at the moment, and I guarantee Brandon's not up to it with all the painkillers he's been taking."

"Okay. Just as long as we can get everyone home." He steps away from the passenger's side door so that Cass can lean the seat forward and get into the back seat. Then he carefully settles Pepper in.

Pepper looks at Cassie apologetically over her should. "Sorry, I know generally a guest should get to sit in the front, but I'm not sure my leg could bend enough for me to sit back there comfortably at the moment."

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Hell it's comfortable enough back here I could probably fall asleep.

Tony settles in his seat and guns the engine Slink left running. "You're tired enough you could probably fall asleep standing up right now. Where to, Cass?"

"Same place as before. My flat on the Northeast side of town."

He nods and pulls out into the empty street.

Pepper clears her throat, "So have we called ahead, so that Brandon's packed and ready when we get there?"

"Uhh...I think the game plan is going to go down more like a snatch and grab. Or at least that was my understanding over the phone." Tony glances at Cass in the rearview mirror. "Is that still the plan, or did you give his babysitter a call?"

"I did. She's packed up all his stuff. Tanner's currently passed out on my couch. I'm assuming that a little prodding with the right tone will probably be enough to get him to walk out to the car. He's pretty placid on morphine, which is to our advantage right now. Just don't expect too much actual lucid conversation until the drugs start to wear off."

"Tanner?" Pepper blinks at what she assumes in an affectionate Cass uses when speaking of her lover.

Cassie looks a little surprised. "I thought he was your massage therapist. You didn't know his last name?"

"Yes," Pepper says dryly. "Only when he told it to me, it was Weber. And his first name was Brian."

Cass blinks, "He was using a pseudonym when you met him? By why would he …?" The woman stops mid-sentence. She opens her mouth for a moment and closes it again. She shakes her head slightly, "Never mind, I can guess," She finally mutters under her breath...

The silence becomes a little strained. In response, Tony presses down harder on the accelerator in an attempt to make this as quick as possible. Pepper's voice is cautious. "I take it Tony didn't give you any specifics about just _how_ well Brandon and I know each other, then?"

Tony's voice is wry. "Didn't seem like a good idea to get into details in the middle of a public grocery store, Pepper. Besides it's only your and Brandon's business who you chose to tell or not tell."

Cass nods at that, chewing at her lower lip. For a moment, Pepper marvels at the sheer scope of emotion in the other woman's eyes.

There's embarrassment, worry, exhaustion, and little frustrated jealousy. The later in particular makes something twist up in Pepper's insides.

"I'm sorry." She finally murmurs, "That you I caught you off guard the way I just did. And that I…" She pauses… "Well frankly Brandon never indicated he was in a committed relationship. If he had done so, believe me I _never_ would have…"

"He's not." Cass cuts of her rambling apology. "Yes, Brandon and I have a long standing… arrangement. I've never asked for his exclusivity though, or given him mine. You didn't intrude on any sacred oaths or anything, I assure you. The only things I've ever expected from Tanner are the same as he expects from me: that he's honest, that he's careful and that he practices safe sex."

Pepper nods, wondering why that doesn't make her feel all that much better. "Yes well he's always been very up front with me about things and he's always brought more than adequate protection when we…" She pauses, blushing. "Not that we always…." She draws in an awkward breath, "In truth it did start out as just massages. I mean yes, I knew there were other options available for the asking, but I never _ever_ dreamed that I'd actually…"

"Be tempted?" Cassie's voice is actually bemused, and her expression softens. "Don't feel to bad if he had a knack for putting you at ease, okay? Believe me, Brandon's always had a talent for that."

"He's just so…calming. And well…harmless looking."

"Yes I know. He's really good at reading what people need from him and presenting that image. Of course he's also stubborn as a mule and a major pain in the ass when he decides to be."

"Sounds familiar," Tony murmurs from the driver's seat, and both women turn and glare at him simultaneously. He holds both hands up for a moment, "Hey I'm just saying. You're the ones who assume you know who it is I'm referring to."

"Don't pay him any heed." Pepper tells Cass, completely seriously. "It's been a stressful couple of days, and when Tony gets tired, he also gets cranky."

"Says the Pott of the kettle." Tony grumbles under his breath, completely ignoring the slow smirk that's spreading across Cass' face as she watches them trade looks from her spot in the back seat.

Cass chuckles, albeit very tiredly. "That being the case let's just get Brandon out to the car, and then get back to your digs, Stark, so we can all get some sleep."

"Amen." Is Tony's response to that suggestion.

"Damn it," Pepper murmurs just as they pull onto the street that leads to Cass' apartment.

"What's wrong?" The other woman asks.

"Nothing. I just realized that I didn't put clean sheets on any of the beds at the mansion before we left."

Tony snorts as he parks in front of a particular building, "Yes, well you aren't suppose to be thinking about that kind of thing Pepper. You're on vacation."

"It's just a quick change of linens…" Pepper's quick to protest, unsure Tony even knows how to make his own bed properly.

"Exactly. We If Cass really objects to a little dust than she and I can just throw a couple fresh sets of sheets onto the beds when we get home."

"Just one set of clean sheets on one bed will do just fine for Tanner and I..." Cassie is quick to reassure him. "Brandon's been passed out in my bed back at the apartment the last few days, and Lord knows I haven't had much time for doing my laundry."

"We have at least 5 different rooms that should fit your needs, Cass. Check the sheets when we get there and if you're dissatisfied just come and find me and I'll get you a clean set."

Pepper sighs, but nods in agreement, before a new thought occurs and a wash of heat floods over her face.

The real question is whether there's going to be two occupied beds tonight, or three.


	16. Chapter 15

Even before they leave Cass's parking lot to return to the mansion, Tony can sense Pepper's slow emotional retreat. He's familiar enough with her facial expressions and body language to recognized re-emergence of the walls she typically erects when in any large group situation. True there's only four of them in the car on the trip home, but, he can't exactly blame her for feeling unsure or overwhelmed.

That only proves doubly true after the first good look she gets at Brandon. Even Cass's warning about how her friend had been attacked hadn't prepare either of them for the reality of actually seeing the man.

Their simultaneous comments had run along the lines of "Oh god," and "Well fuck."

Brandon Tanner is pale and fragile looking. He's dressed in only shoes, socks and sleep pants. It looks like Cass threw a blanket hastily around his shoulders before she half led, half dragged him out of the apartment and down the exterior set of stairs. Now that they're at her car – Pepper and Tony have already made the switch over - Cass prods Brian into the backseat with gentle hands.

Up close the blue black bruises make it obvious that if his roommate hadn't interrupted the attack in their mutual apartment, there's a good chance Brandon Tanner would no longer be alive.

Tony watches Pepper watch Brandon as the man climbs into the car with the deliberate carefulness that she's probably become all too accustomed to seeing him use after a bad mission. Her eyes are concerned and she opens her mouth to say something, but then closes it when Brandon more or less collapses in the back seat without ever opening his eyes.

Cass slides into the backseat beside him, her eyes apologetic. "I know you were both hoping to talk to him tonight, but I'm thinking it's probably better to try and do so tomorrow morning."

Cass slings a gym bag onto the seat on Brandon's other side, then closes her eyes as she relaxes for the first time that evening. "I feel like I could sleep for a week," she murmurs to herself.

"You probably need to." Tony replies back. "Cass…he looks pretty bad, are you sure he doesn't need a trip to the hospital?"

Cass shakes her head. "I thought so at first, too. But Brandon reminded me about a semi regular we get at the club – a trauma surgeon. I offer him free booze for a month, and in return he's keeping an eye on Brandon off the books for me."

Tony nods, "Then let's just get us all someplace we know is safe. Good thing the weekend's over and we can all play hooky for a day or two at least."

Pepper sighs but nods, "One day in your case. Tomorrow is a holiday. If you don't go to your Tuesday morning meetings, though, it's going to throw off the R&D departments schedule for the rest of the week."

Tony glances at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm feeling the urge to quote Gone With the Wind."

Pepper groans, frowning deeply. "Of course you don't care, Stark. But then you're not the one who's literally spent hours figuring out ways to get you everywhere you need to go. If you start play hooky it's my hard work you're going destroy – people will get pissed off at me."

"You're incommunicado right now, Pep, so no one should be bitching at you about anything." He throws her a quick grin.

She sighs, "You know what I mean, Tony. It's the principle of the thing."

Tony glances in his rearview mirror - Cass has her eyes closed. If she's even listening to the conversation, she obviously doesn't care about what she's hearing. That confirmed, he reaches across to take Pepper's hand in his. "Hey," he murmurs to Pepper. "It's going to be fine, Pepper. If it really bothers you that much, I'll be responsible tomorrow afternoon and start getting back on top of things now that you've got some company. But you've got to understand that you're still my first priority, which is why work can go to hell if that's what it comes down to while we figure out who's got a grudge against you and Brandon."

Her face softens a little. "Look, I do understand there are emergencies – that sometimes being Ironman requires you miss a meeting. Still, _please_ don't let all the time I've put in to keep things running smoothly ultimately go to waste because you think I need a babysitter. Because frankly that thought's just really depressing."

Pepper's head is resting back against the cushion of her seatback as well, it's clear she's having trouble keeping her eyes open as she finishes speaking. Tony studies her profile for several moments before he speaks.

"The last thing I want to do is give you the chance for some R&R, Pepper, and then undo all the good it's done by making you walk back into a blizzard of paperwork when you're back on duty. I'll stay on top of things." He squeezes her hand reassuringly.

She yawns, "Fair enough, and I'm sorry – lately I feel like I'm coming across constantly bitchy. Which you don't deserve to put up with."

"You don't and you're not. You sound like the Pepper Potts we all know and love." Tony looks around their surroundings as they're stopped at a red light. He's the only one with any degree of consciousness. "Though I suppose at this particular moment I'm using the royal 'we.'"

Pepper snorts at that, though her eyes stay shut. "You need to get your ego trimmed back again Stark, it's getting bigger than several third world countries."

"I'm sure you'll keep my ego trimmed without any significant effort on my part," Tony says dryly as he hits the accelerator. This car is substandard as far as he's concerned, but they do eventually make it to sixty. Pepper's hand is warm in his; she hasn't let go yet despite the fact she's reverted to their being on a last name basis. He tries to not feel guilty at how much he enjoys the simple contact.

"I suppose I do consider taking you down a peg or two occasionally one of the perks of my job, your highness." Her lips spread in a tired grin, though a quick glance toward her reveals that she's on the cusp of sleep.

"Hmm...I like the sound of that. 'Your Highness.' Remind me to send out an office memo requiring all employees call me 'Your Highness' from now on. Or maybe 'your Majesty." He doesn't quite catch what she mutters back, though given her throaty chuckle he can probably guess.

"Oh no, Potts…no comments to the peanut gallery. If you're going to malign my good name, then at least do so at a level I can hear you."

"I plead the fifth." She yawns and settles more comfortably against the seat cushion.

Before he can protest their conversation is interrupted by two distinct and perfectly alternating snores from behind them. "Okay, that's a little creepy," he finally murmurs, shaking his head at the synchronization, noting the way that Cass has slumped over until she's resting with her head all but in Brandon's lap.

"I hate to break it to you, Stark, but you snore too." Pepper tells him plainly.

He huffs in disbelief. "That, Pepper, is a terrible, vicious, deceit."

Pepper's eyes crack open as one eyebrow raises. "It's the truth. You snore like a buzz saw when you're drunk, Tony. And Jarvis has the blackmail video to prove it."

Tony huffs again, "At least I don't steal the covers from my bedmates, unlike other people I know."

"I didn't steal anything, I got buried alive." She yawns and nestles her face into her seat. "I couldn't get you to keep any of the bedding, and believe me I tried."

He laughes, because it's probably the truth. "Yeah well you're the Eskimo wanna-be Potts. I'm hot blooded enough I usually sleep in the nude."

"I noticed." After that Pepper falls silent, though the slow sweep of her thumb back and forth across the back of his hand tells him that she doesn't really fall asleep.

He leaves her to her near slumber until they arrive at the mansion's front gate. "Old Man it's us, and we're beat. Let us in please?"

Cassie stirs in the backseat as the metal security gate cycles open. "We're here already?"

"Yeah. Three more minutes and you can pour yourself and Brandon into bed." Tony takes them down the ramp to the garage and parks. "Before you ask, I'm putting you in the room nearest the kitchen on first level, and there's an elevator we can use to get him upstairs."

Cass sighs in relief. "Thank goodness. It was hard enough getting him down a flight at the apartment." She nudges Brandon gently and he wakes enough for her to successfully order him out of the car and back onto his feet.

Once Cass and Brandon are on their way toward the elevator, Tony releases his seatbelt and leans across the seats to brush his lips against Pepper's cheek. "Are you going to come up now, Amante, or do you want me to come back and get you?"

She yawns. "Go ahead and help Cass and Brandon. I can make it upstairs on the elevator. Once we get up to first floor I just need to feed Tuck and then I'm headed off to bed."

'My bed or yours?' He wonders, though he doesn't ask the question aloud. "You sure? How's your leg feeling? Are you up to walking on it?"

"It's pretty sore," Pepper acknowledges. "But it's had over an hour to rest, and I'll probably take something for the pain tonight before I crash."

His eyes are serious. "If you're sure, then go ahead. If you realize halfway there that it's too much like earlier, though, then I want you to promise me that you'll take a seat wherever you are and let Jarvis know I need to come and get you."

She chuckles. "I promise." She pauses and her smiles widens, "Though I suppose I could catch a lift from Dummy instead."

She's teasing him – trying to make him worry less,, but he almost wishes she wouldn't. Her leg was all stiff earlier and he has no reason to believe it's gotten a whole lot better. "Now there's an idea." Tony sighs and releases her seatbelt before getting out of the car to help with Brandon. The other man has at least four inches on Tony, but Tony's no lightweight and he's able to support more of Brandon's weight than Cass.

Cass for her part looks a little surprised to see him. "We can make it up on our own. I think you should help Pepper. She's looking really beat."

He shakes his head, "She wants me to help you two. She's stubborn sometimes; doesn't like when people hover over her too much."

Cass's mouth lifts in a small smile as she looks at Brandon. "Sounds depressingly familiar." They get their injured friend into the second guest bedroom with no real issues. After a quick check Cass declares the sheets 'damn good enough for tonight.' Tony departs, gently pulling the door shut behind him as he goes.

He finds Pepper sitting on the floor in the kitchen, stroking down the back of an ecstatically purring kitten. The sight stirs a tired smile from him, "So is this just more mutual admiration society, or did your leg give out and you needed a break before you did anymore walking?"

"A little of both," Pepper acknowledges, smiling back. "I know that Tuck's done well so far, but there's just so much more trouble for him to get into here at the mansion. And moving is stressful to any cat - I worry a little that I'm not around enough."

Tony nods, "Well we should be here all day tomorrow, and if you want to, Pepper, we can always have Jarvis monitor his movements. Let us know if he's getting into anything he shouldn't."

"Probably not a bad idea at all." Pepper yawns again, this time more deeply.

"Need a lift the rest of the way?" Tony offers again. "Cass and Brandon are all set and probably passed out again by now. I'm headed up to bed myelf."

Pepper shrugs. "I guess a ride would be nice, though…." She pauses, "To be honest I'm really not sure where I'm most comfortable sleeping tonight, Tony."

Tony works very hard at keeping his face nonjudgmental. "Worried about using me as a pillow when we've got company?"

She blushes. "I'm not ashamed exactly…it's just that what we're doing is _private_. And Cass already assumes that we're…well that we're dating or something. I feel like we'd be deliberately misleading her." Pepper shrugs, "Besides, Tucker's used to being allowed to sleep up on the bed with me. Do you really want to wake up with a cat in your face?"

For a moment a shadow crosses Tony's face, but then his expression clears and his lips tilt upward before he replies. "As long as the furr-face keeps his claws away from my vital bits, then we won't have any issues, Pep. I don't have any issue at all with him up on any of the beds."

But that's not the deeper scope of Peppers concern, and Tony knows it. He can see the internal debate as it rages across her face. It's been a long day with mountains worth of things to absorb, and like it or not, she appears to need a little space.

'What do you expect, Stark? This is new to both of you. And she's always been painfully aware of how things appear to others. She's had to be because you generally don't give a damn.' "Hey." He reaches out to squeeze her hand briefly, than strokes down Tucker's back again as a way to shift both of their focuses. "If you're really going to be more at ease sleeping on your own, it's fine. I'll still carry you upstairs, and I'll do my best not to pout anymore than usual."

"No more than usual?" Pepper asks, a wry little smile curling up one corner of her mouth.

Tony's smile turns wolfish. "Well I can't have you thinking I'm a pod person, now can I? Just remember my door is always open."

"A ride up to bed would be appreciated." Pepper's face is relaxing – her expression grateful for his acceptance.

Tony nods, standing and bending to scoop her off the floor. "Do you object if I move you to the room across from mine for tonight? I don't think we ever bother to change the sheets in your guest room last night."

Pepper shakes her head in the negative as she yawns, leaning her head against his shoulder, "As long as I can pass out somewhere soft, then I'm good sleeping anywhere – including the couch living room couch."

"You're the second person who's said as much in the last fifteen minutes. What, does my taste in mattresses suck that bad?" His voice is teasing.

"No. Hell most of the beds in this place are brand new and hardly ever used. Though I have to admit that sometimes I really, really miss the old water bed I had to pack away back at the house."

"A waterbed?" Tony raises an eyebrow, "Sounds kinky, Potts. A little 1980's maybe…but with some definite possibilities. So why'd you give it up?"

Pepper raises an eyebrow. "I took in a kitten, Stark. Cats have claws. Put two and two together."

"That, Pepper, is why they invented declawing."

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

When Pepper dreams, it's of fire and sirens. The crackling sound of shattered glass leaves her instinctively reaching up to cover her head. She can feel the heat of the blast singeing the backs of her legs as she runs and prays that she'll make it out of the building in time.

She also prays for the man on the roof above her, even if she somehow knows that those pleas toward heaven won't be enough. "Tony!"

She has this dream at least once every couple of weeks. Except maybe the word nightmare applies better, because unlike actual reality, in these specters Tony almost never survives.

She finds him in pieces, she finds him burned and in agony. She finds him lying on the roof with the Arc Reactor dark and his skin already growing cold – blank eyes staring up at the sky. She finds him and she knows that she's killed him. Or is going to be forced to watch him die.

She cries, she begs, she does CPR. When she's really desperately she even tries direct bargains with heaven.

But God, it seems, is always deaf to her cries.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

When she finally – mercifully – pulls herself from sleep it's to find herself once again drenched in sweat. Her breathing is ragged and her stomach is once again on fire. She makes it from the bed to the bathroom before she actually starts to wretch, though thankfully she hasn't eaten anything in several hours, and so there's very little but bile to come up. When the dry heaving finally stops, she stays where she is, head resting against the porcelain and hands braced on the cold tile floor. She stays there for perhaps three or four minutes, before a quiet voice speaks from overhead.

"Do you require assistance, Miss Potts? I can wake up Mr. Stark, if you like..."

Pepper and Jarvis had had a little conversation earlier - when she'd inquired as to how Tony had known she was having a nightmare the night before. She had found it hard to believe that he'd heard her restless tossing and turning all the way down the hall in his bedroom.

The AI had admitted he'd been monitoring her at Tony's reques. Tony had apparently been concerned that her drugs might leave awake in the night but unable to call for help if she needed it.

His concern had been touching, even if it had made her feel like she was living in a sort of well intentioned fish bowl.

Eventually she'd spoken to Tony about it and they had reached a compromise of sorts… Now Jarvis kept watch, but he could only wake Tony up without her direct permission if she was somehow in direct physical jeopardy.

Now, sitting on the bathroom floor, Pepper was glad she'd thought to have the conversation at all. Two nights in a row of nightmares was not something she wanted brought to Tony's attention. He'd just become more insistent about talking about it then he already was.

"I'm all right, Jarvis. I just had some unsettling dreams."

"Indeed." There's a slight pause, and when Jarvis speaks he sounds almost hesistant. "I have noted you seem to have a developing pattern of nightmares emerging. Perhaps you'd be wise to speak to someone about that?"

Pepper's eyebrow raises as she carefully climbs to her feet. "Jarvis, it almost sounds like you're offering to be my shrink."

The AI goes silent a moment longer, "I believe I do have the psychological library necessary for me to do teporarily so if you would wish it. In truth though, I was referring to Mr. Stark. He's obviously concerned for your well being, and I note your nightmares frequently involve the use of his name. That being the case, I hypothesize that they may involve him directly."

She blinks in the mirror as she turns the water on an uses a washcloth to wipe her face.

"Sometimes yes. Look it's really nothing to worry about. I'm just…processing…I guess. There's been a great deal of change and danger to sort through in recent months."

"Indeed. You and Mr. Stark have both rightly shown several symptoms of traumatic shock following your confrontation with Mr. Stane. Thankfully you're both resilient and have handled the time of readjustment admirably."

Pepper blinks again, "That was very…forthright, Jarvis. Though I must admit that I always thought Tony had programmed you to show just a little more tact."

"Tact is useful when trying to maintain harmonious relations. When relationships are already under strain, however, it seems only logical that honesty is the more effective approach to seeing them mended."

"Touché." She starts to strip out of her pajamas, intending to shower and then return to her bed.

"No offense was intended, Ms Potts. I am simply stating the truth as best I can understand it. If I have injured your opinion of me, then I sincerely apologize for my bluntness."

She turns the water on, testing the temperature with one hand. "I'm not offended exactly, Jarvis - just surprised. This certainly isn't a conversation that I ever imagined the two of us having. I guess I just didn't realize that you were specifically programmed to be concerned for my emotional welfare."

"I recognize the emotional state of anyone who might be in the mansion – the trait is useful in maintaining good security. And to be perfectly frank, Ms Potts, it's also a matter of self preservation - you and Mr. Stark are the two beings with the most influence in regards to my continued existence. If anything happens to either of you, I lose a valuable ally."

Pepper steps under the spray, "I guess I never really thought of it that way, but from that perspective I guess we do kind of make up your family." She's never considered though, that the AI might have what amounted to selfish reasons to be concerned for their safety.

"Affirmative. Some might refer to Anthony as both my parent and mentor. Though I must admit that notion contains within it a fair bit of irony, considering I was created to largely be of assistance to him, rather than the other way around."

Pepper chuckles, "It's true, most people don't expect their children to take care of them."

"Perhaps, but then most 'children' aren't born with my inherent capability for self sustainment. I don't begrudge him the purpose for which I was made. I'm simply glad my programming leaves me room to learn and expand."

Pepper closes her eyes and props herself up against the shower wall, deciding to cede the point and end the conversation for now. She needs to finish up and go back to bed – with a quick peek in on Tony along the way. She's hoping that the sight of him unharmed will ease her mind enough for her to go back to sleep. She cleans her body brusquely with soap, wrapping one towel from the rack around her wet hair and hastily drying the rest of her skin with the other. The stone floor is cold under her feet as she pads back out of the bathroom and down the main hallway.

Tony is asleep on his stomach on his bed; she can see the dips and curves of his back as she passes the master bedroom. The way that he smacks his lips in his sleep is enough to make her pause in the doorway, afraid that coming any closer will bring him fully awake. His skin is pale in the dim light, and a sheet is tangled up at his feet – he's obviously kicked it free in his sleep, undaunted by the cold night air.

She's never had the chance to just look at him this way. To take in the way his hair curls under a little at his hairline, or to admire how his strongly muscled legs lead to surprisingly delicate looking feet.

Tony Stark is beautiful. It feels strange to use that word to describe any man, but it fits.

The sight of him makes her fingers itch with a simple desire to touch him. She shoves that particular desire down guiltily: 'Not the agreement Potts.' She's a little surprised to find herself moving toward the side of the bed. She can look as long as she likes, but she doesn't feel right about touching him without getting his express permission first.

Tony groans softly, before rolling onto one side. She fights down a burning blush, but still lets her eyes wander, from the tiny new scar that she recently noticed along his hairline, down along the dark trail of hair on his belly past his thighs and all the way to his toes.

He smacks his lips again, before he finally starts to shiver. She smiles and reaches down for the sheet at the bottom of the bed, intending to cover him up again and then continue on back to her bedroom.

When she straightens up though, it's to see his eyes crack open. He blinks at her a moment, before a slow smile crosses his face, and then reaches down to lift the sheet in silent invitation.

"Come'on," he murmurs softly. "It's a whole lot warmer in here."

"I-I didn't –" That's not the reason she came in here, not that she's certain about his motives for inviting her in. It could just as easily be for sleep as it could for anything else.

A yawn makes his eyes scrunch up; there's humor in them when he looks at her again.

"In or out, Potts. Pick before I freeze anything vital."

Then his eyes narrow as he seems to process the fact she's wearing a towel and her hair is still wet. His rubs his eyes, and starts to sit up a little. "You look like you showered. Insomnia or bad dreams again?"

If she walks away now, he'll be sure to raise the matter tomorrow. She's not ready to deal with that and so she takes the alternative and climbs into bed with him, scrubbing the towel through her hair for a moment before dropping it to the floor uncharacteristically. If she falls asleep, maybe he'll just let it go.

Tony sighs a little, scooting close until he's spooned up behind her. "I understand both, you know. I've had my share of both the last few months." His arm drapes easily across her waist, and he squeezes her tightly for a moment. "I remember when I first got back from Afghanistan how weird it was to be all alone in such a big house." He shrugs – she can feel it - "For awhile I actually contemplated getting myself some kind of pet."

"I'll thank you for your restraint for deciding not to do so," she murmurs, a small smile on her lips. "I have enough to clean up after in this house without the huge dog you undoubtedly would have brought home."

Tony chuckles, "Actually I probably would have gone for something more easily contained. Maybe ferrets. I used to beg my mom for a pair of those when I was kid."

"Ferrets, just wonderful. They're illegal to buy in California." Pepper sighs deeply, feeling the weight of Tony's arm as it rides just under her ribcage. It's not confining; his hand rests against her stomach, warming the skin beneath her tank top.

"Hey, no whining…what I really wanted was a mongoose. I think that the first book I ever remember my mother reading to me was Rikki Tikki Tavi." She can feel his smile against her skin, before he yawns deeply once again.

"Go to sleep," she tells him, letting her own eyes drift shut.

He nods a little. Yawns again and shifts his head on his pillow. Less than two minutes later, his breathing evens back out. It takes Pepper a bit longer to fall asleep. She's very much aware of the large body behind her, enough so that she eventually rolls under Tony's arm until she's facing him. His reactor dimly illuminates the room, turns her skin a pale blue.

A moment later there's a plaintive meow to the right of her, then a slight shifting of the mattress as Tuck jumps up and pads across to where she's laying. Her pet curls up behind her knees and starts purring. That seems to settle it. Both her men are happy for the moment.

Pepper closes her eyes again. Tomorrow can worry about itself.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

There are no restraints on Pepper in her dreams. In her sleep she's free to touch wherever and whatever she wants, she's not limited by pain in her leg or an overcautious boss/lover with admittedly good intentions. In her sleep she's in control of herself and so there's no demands on Tony to do the job for her. As she's asleep there's no deal and thus no need to be scared that he'll take it all back if she steps out of the line he's drawn for her. She gets to take him as he is, not as he's modified himself as he thinks he needs to in order to keep her safe. In her dream, that much is very clear.

In her dream she's lying spooned behind him and her hands run over his shoulders and chest with a flagrant pleasure.

His skin is hot, and tight, and shudders under her hands as they skim lower. She feels daring and a touch guilty at the same time because she knows that she's only dreaming. Even this – that's leaving her satisfied in an entirely different way than Tony's been offering – is almost stolen. Maybe selfish. It's just that now she can't seem to care.

Despite the suit and the gym time and the wheat germ protein shakes, Tony doesn't quite have the six pack. Not that her hands are disappointed. His body is still all sleek muscle, and as she brushes over his belly she can feel the way it clenches and unclenches, and rolls under her fingers. He responds to her like she responds to him, and she likes it. A lot. Enough to reach down further to touch what she's only seen…

Tony groans. His body arches away from her, into the hands that are no better than marauders though she's not ashamed at all. Her response is instinctive – more touch, more pressure, more –

The groan she hears is so loud that it vibrates through her body. It's a little startling, like she's managed to unleash something she hadn't known was there…

Pepper's eyes fly open; it only takes a split second to process her surroundings. Dark. It's dark, and hot because she's pressed against Tony from head to toe, and her arms are around him. And her hands are…

'Oh God.'

Embarrassment tinged with humiliation rolls through her and Pepper leaps from the bed with a speed that shouldn't be available to her considering her leg.

Tony's still faster though. His hand is huge as it wraps around her wrist and tips her unbalanced form back onto the mattress. He's over her in a second, eyebrows curled down over his eyes. Pepper looks away before he can say anything, before she can read his face. She doesn't want to know if he's angry, doesn't want him to be angry or upset. Her mind is racing almost as fast as her heart as she covers her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she mumbles without looking at him. "I didn't know… I thought I was dreaming. I didn't mean –"

A hand settles over her mouth, shutting her up. "Pepper? It's okay."

Pepper stills a little as the tone registers. Confusion. Achy confusion maybe, but not anger. She parts the hands over her eyes so she can see him. There's no anger in sight, just eyes that are still a little hazy from sleep and a whole lot warm with tenderness.

She opens her mouth under his hand to explain, but he shakes his head at her. "I get that you're sorry, but I don't get for what." The hand slowly drifts down and settles by her head as he distributes his weight over her more evenly.

The embarrassment flares again, because it's clear that he's not in the mood to move until she explains. Or maybe "confesses" is a better word. Either way the intent is the same.

"I...I didn't mean for that to happen." She all but chokes on the words, "You've been pretty clear on your comfort levels concerning all this...I've been trying to respect that."

The look on his face is equal parts bemusement and concern. "Alright. So you didn't mean to touch me like..." His eyes grow a little more hazy and a small tremor rocks him. "...like you were." It's obvious that he has to pull himself back to address whatever really has him concerned. "That doesn't explain why you tried to leap out of bed like it was on fire instead of just saying you're sorry.."

One hand comes up to cover her face, "Yes well, forgive me for not wanting to stay after essentially mauling you without at least asking your permission."

"That was mauling? If so I need to try it more often." The body above her is relaxing a little, and the corner of Tony's mouth curls into a soft smile for a second before he sighs. His eyes grow serious as he looks at her, as if he's having a hard time figuring her out. "You're serious."

She nods her head, maybe a little too emphatically, "I should have asked your permission first to touch you that way. Especially when you were asleep."

Tony sighs, "Pepper unless I'm missing my guess, you were asleep when things started as well. I'm not inclined to hold a grudge unless you're saying that you woke up first and deliberately started rubbing me off."

Her neck feels stiff as she jerks her head back and forth. "I was dreaming, didn't realize it was real…" she murmurs as she looks away from him. She's uncomfortable, trying to explain all this to him, even though he's the one who put all the damn rules in place. "And I'm really, really sorry. I know that you've said you don't want me touching you, Tony."

Tony blinks several times at this proclamation. "Excuse me...I what?!"

"Let me up." Pepper pushes ineffectively at Tony's shoulders, but he shakes his head at her. He doesn't try to restrain her, but he doesn't budge either. She has to eventually accept that he's staying put until satisfied. "You don't let me touch you when...when we're together, Tony" she mumbles under her breath. "And since I don't want you to stop..."

There's a momentary pause before Tony curses under his breath. "Okay...for the record think we have a small miscommunication problem.

She goes very still at that, and Tony continues. "Yeah it's true that I did ask you to back off a few times – but not because I didn't like what you were doing, but because I liked it to much. At that point in time if you'd done what you just did now, I probably would have lost it, which was what I was trying to prevent since I wanted to keep my focus on you. In general though...." Tony slowly draws in a breath then pushes it out. "I don't have any objection to you touching me, Pepper. As long as you're doing it because you want to and not just because you think you _owe_ me some kind of reciprocation."

"But you've said I shouldn't bother to-" she immediately protests.

"Every time you've tried to reciprocate, you've already been exhausted and barely able to keep your eyes open." Tony responds with a tenderness she's starting to believe is characteristic of him. He brushes her hair away from her face. "If we're at the start of things and you want to to touch me though - well I meant it when I said that you can have anything you need, Amante. It's only been your timing I've been concerned with."

Pepper opens her mouth, then closes it again, all the while hating her complexion and the flush she can feel rising to her hairline. With that explanation, things are starting to make more sense.

"It's just...well you probably know every freckle I've got by now. And I don't even know if you're ticklish. You're hands have been all over me. It's just not fair." She sounds almost whiney as she says it, and is amazed by the chuckle that rumbles through his chest in reply.

"Ah, Pepper..." Tony grins and dips his head down to give her a light kiss before wrapping his arms around her and rolling them onto their sides.

"Sure. Go ahead and laugh." She pokes an accusing finger in his chest.

"Sorry. I guess this is just the first time anyone's ever told me that I need to share groping priviledges. No offense but most women usually gripe about a lack of foreplay – about their partner focusing on or pushing for his pleasure instead of concentrating on them."

His hands sweep up and down her back as he speak; she's not sure if he's trying to calm her down or if he just wants to touch her. He draws in a deep breath and lets it out again, "Pepper, my only concern has been getting you as close to healthy as I can. To try and rid you of some of you burdens instead of adding more… That said if you want to touch, me, Pep, please feel free to do so pretty much whenever you want."

"But you also said…earlier, that you don't want to come until…touching you under those conditions feels a little…well…cruel to me."

Tony sighs softly. "I managed to fuck this up pretty bad attempting to do the right thing, didn't I?" Before Pepper can ask what he means, he's leaning forward and brushing his lips along her brow. "I thought a set time sounded a little more...formal. And it created a safety zone of sorts. You really scared me the other day, Pepper. You were so out of control that I may have overcompensated. I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't going to take advantage of you, that I could wait until you could make an informed decision. I didn't want to just be the next thing you used to hold yourself up whether it was good for you or not."

He pauses a moment, as if debating his next words, "In truth Pep, I was also a little afraid given your state of mind that if I didn't do something to provide a safe alternative to coping with your stress over Brian, you might go looking for a less safe one yourself."

Pepper nods a little, tucking her head against his chest. "I admit at the time that I was over-reacting. I'm better now though and I'm thinking clearly again. It's just...well I know I said I didn't have the energy for a full on relationship, Tony, but at the same time you're not a random strangers. I mean we're friends, and the way things have been going \... Well, I know you're getting more and more frustrated, and I'm starting to feel like some kind of parasite."

"You're not a parasite, and you're not at fault for how I've been feeling."

"Liar," Pepper injects softly, before he can keep denying it.

She feels him sigh deeply as his arms tighten around her. "You're not what's hurting me," he repeats firmly. "I'm insanely jealous, yes. That part's gotten worse instead of better. But," he continues before she can ask what he means by that comment. Worse instead of better? That implies he'd been jealous before... "But that's probably due more to a problem of mine than it is to you. If anything I've been torturing myself about what amounts to stupid shit. But you're not responsible for that Pepper. That's pretty much all on me."

She sighs and cuts straight to the truth as she see it, "Look, all I know is we agreed at the beginning to start having sex because it helps me relax, and at the time you seemed to indicate it would have a similarly relaxing affect on you. But the way we're going about things seems to be tying your into progressively tighter and tighter knots…" She draws a ragged breath, "And that's just not all right with me."

What she wants to tell him is she refuses to keep sleeping with the man that she's in love with if it's at his emotional expense. She has enough unresolved angst about his constant physical injuries already without the knowledge she may be adding still more wounds to his psyche.

Unfortunately putting that truth into words is just beyond her at the moment.

Tony says nothing. Just lays there holding her, with his lips pressed against her temple. He's silent for so long that Pepper has to push herself upright and glare down at him. "You're brooding," she accuses, somewhat comically. It's a very obtuse charge, though she's sure that whatever he's thinking probably doesn't bode well.

'Suck it up Potts.' Frankly, if this is getting to be too much for him - all his words about letting her have what she wants aside - then what she wants is to know.

"Guilty as charged, Amante," Tony finally nods his head a little bit wryly.

He's still using her nickname, so it can't be all that bad. "What does that mean?" she asks, in a quieter tone. If she can have whatever she wants, let him prove it.

"Just that I may have set the original ground rules out of concern for your limits, but the truth is that they're now equally about mine as well." He shrugs a little. "You talk about not wanting to hurt me, but the truth is at least on some level, you've been letting me hurt you for quite awhile now, and I just didn't realize until the other day how bad it had gotten. That's what's really pissing me off about this whole situation. That things got so unbalanced that you to put yourself in a dangerous situation in order to cope and I didn't notice."

"Tony..." Pepper starts to protest, but Tony cuts her off.

"No…you have to start talking to me about stuff when it gets to be too much, Pep. I don't want to be responsible for hurting you any more than you want to be responsible for hurting me. Promise me that much and the rest of it…well the rest of it is up for renegociation."

It's her turn to relax and start feeling all...tender. Tony's face is clearly sincere in his need to keep her safe. And she can see it is a need, in a "need to breathe to live sort of way." That takes care of a lot of her insecurities.

She lays down again, pillowing her head on his shoulder. "I'd almost say that we should slow down...back off the physical side of things a bit. But the truth is..." She snorts softly. "It was easier to ignore the hormonal elephant before it got so fucking big..." The chemistry between them has always been substantial. Set free to burn, she had no clue how to extinguish it.

Hell, she really isn't sure she wants to.

Because she does gain comfort from the time that she spends with him in bed, and she thinks with the little adjustment that comfort can grown into something much more mutual. Not to mention when she actually sleeps beside him it has the clear effect of calming her dreams.

"Maybe it's just time to give in," he sighs. "Though I'm not sure how much it's going to help at first." It's his turn this time to shift so he can look at her face. "I'm going to be...edgy...with Tanner in the house." His tone is both apologetic and defiant. "I know it's unreasonable, but it's still there."

Pepper pauses and draws a deep breath before speaking in a confidential whisper. "Tony, he may have been a....friend with benefits, of sorts...but he's all but admitted he's in love with someone else. I promise what we did is of no threat to this thing that's here now between me and you."

He shakes his head. "If rationality were a factor, I wouldn't be edgy. I just wanted to let you know, so you won't think I have a problem with you if I get overbearing or grumpy. Though ironically the sex will probably help at least some."

She nods a little, chewing on her lower lip. "Maybe...may I suggest a compromise?"

He nods, obviously a little relieved by this particular response.

"It's pretty clear that we're still sorting all of this out..." She shrugs a little. "But let's take the stiffness out of it..." She colors a little, "Well so to speak. The formality of having to ask every time is getting a little bit choking, so let's just get rid of it."

"How so?" He raises on eyebrow.

She shrugs a little. "Simple. From now on any time we're in here in this room either one of us free to initiate anything they like...without asking first. If the other person isn't up for it at the time, they just say no, with no hard feelings." She dimples, "Think of it as neutral territory. We'll get to do a little mutual exploring, but still wait the week you wanted to before any actual penetration."

Tony honestly looks surprised when she meets his eyes again.

"What?" she asks.

"I'm just surprised by your restraint," he murmurs, though he doesn't sound...disappointed.

She smirks. "Yeah well may I remind you that you're a bit ahead of me in the high-school like 'heavy petting' phase. I've got more ground to cover right now."

His eyes twinkle at her. "Well, unlike you I don't have an actual cat. I have to make do with whatever crude euphemistic comparisons I can. However, the crude comparisons are a hell of a lot more fun."

That startles a laugh out of her, high and just a little bit giggly. "You are terrible." She's secretly glad that he apparently never actually went through her fun drawer back at the house, since one of her more...unique vibrators was actually labeled the 'Big Purr Daddy.'

"Yes. And it doesn't get better, though it does get more enjoyable." He buries his face in her neck and surprises her by blowing raspberries against the delicate skin.

Pepper responds by shifting her hands to his rib cage, experimentally tickling.

He reacts by moving into her hands, a small sound of pleasure bubbling out of his throat. "God, Pepper. You have the most amazing hands." His lips buzz against her skin as he delicately rocks against her. "And I'm not just saying that because you're the only one who can reach inside my chest to help me do maintenance."

She chuckles. "I'd be more touched by that compliment if I hadn't heard pretty much that same purring sound out of you a few weeks ago when you wrenched your back and I hired in that Swedish masseuse." She shifts her hands to the skin of his back. "You, Tony Stark, are a closet cuddle slut."

"Take me, I'm yours," he says, only semi-jokingly.

She smiles a little, leaning forward to hesitantly kiss the skin along his collarbone. His scent is rich and a little tart, yet also undeniably salty at the juncture where his shoulders meet his neck.

She can hear his breath catch in his throat. "And your mouth. Your mouth is definitely not to be overlooked." He dips his head and brushes her lips with hers. "The next time you start chewing me out for something, I'm going to have difficulties keeping myself under control."

She smiles a little, "The next time I need to get you to do something, I rather think I'll have more tools in my arsenal to motivate you. That should significantly decrease the number of time I do chew you out in sheer frustration."

"You're counting on me disliking being chewed out, Potts. I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Pepper pulls back a little and looks at him as if he's had a recent head injury. It's an odd confession for him to make considering everything she's heard about his domineering tendencies. "That's not the story your friends seem to tell."

Tony meets her eyes a little wryly. "My friends, as you put it, haven't ever seen me with you."

She shrugs a little. "Yes well I don't particularly like having to ride your ass all the time, Stark. As a constant thing, I'm pretty sure it's a guaranteed way to kill the mood.

"Part of that might depend on the mood of the one being chewed out." He rolls them so that Pepper's face is above his. "Cass and the others might tell stories about me in the dark to scare neophytes, but they don't know about you, Pepper. We've always been pretty much equals in all things."

She nods in acknowledgement, some of his deeper meanings finally registering. Finding out Tony Stark might like to sub occasionally isn't really that surprising. Hell the idea isn't even unattractive, under the right circumstances. Still it's a bit too heavy of a topic to get into with him now. Instead she chooses to ask a question that's been building ever since they left the club. "I kind of got the feeling that you haven't hung out with that crowd all that much recently. Any reason for that?" She bends her head to kiss him gently.

"I haven't had much time to pursue those interests..." Tony trails off as he shakes his head on the pillow. "Or perhaps I should say that I haven't had the interest in it at all due to a far more recent and consuming pursuit."

"Mr. Stark, you wished to be notified in time to attend your ten o'clock conference call with the head of Pacific Technologies." Jarvis easily breaks into the conversation before Pepper can ask him what that means.

Tony sighs deeply, then looks up at Pepper with a half smile. "Per your wishes, Ms. Potts, I asked him to keep me reminded of the schedule you set me. Even if today is a holiday. So much for Jarvis' supposedly impeccable timing"

He sounds just disgruntled enough to make her giggle as she nods, pulling back from his grip. "Then why don't you shower while I lay out a suit for you? We can continue this conversation later – after all the rest of the day is free for both of us, assuming Cass and Brandon don't need anything."

The rest of the day is definitely free. So is most of the following week since. What Pepper doesn't realize is that he also asked Jarvis to clear the schedule of anything but his corporate appointments. He wants as much time to look after Pepper as possible.

Thankfully it's a light time for meetings, the third week of the month.

"Are you sure I can't persuade you to join me in a shower?" Tony asks crawling out of bed. He waggles his eyebrows in her general direction.

Her lips curl up a little, but she shakes her head. "A generous offer but I suspect you'd be late for your conference call, and frankly, I suspect that both me and the fuzz ball are getting hungry."

In concert with this admission, Pepper's stomach growls, and she smiles again, "How about this for an offer. Go shower and I'll blend up a shake with the yogurt and fruit we got at the co-op last night for you."

Tony's mouth starts watering at the very idea. "Mmmm...That sounds like bribery, Ms. Potts."

Her face grows mischievous, "Ah but bribery is such a dirty word. I prefer positive motivation."

"I prefer bribery. It sounds much more illicit."

Her lips twitch. "That statement says so much about your basic personality."

"What can I say? I've been blessed with a dirty mind." He sighs and pulls Pepper back down for a long, deep kiss that has her toes curling and her nails pressing into his shoulders before he lets her go.

"Shower now. Or you won't make it there," she orders him breathlessly.

"I wouldn't have a problem with that," he groans as he pushes himself off the bed. "Keep in mind that I'm only doing this because you asked." The look he shoots her is wicked. "I'm sure you can think of a way to thank me later."

She raises an eyebrow at that. "I can think of a few possibilities yes..." She pushes him in the general direction of the bathroom with a reluctant disappointment on her face.

"I am so jumping you when the conference call is over," Tony warns her over his shoulder.

"I wasn't aware that was in your schedule." Her answering smile is just as wicked as his. "I'll have to check it."

"Make sure you do, Potts." Tony quickly scoots into the bathroom, ensuring he has the last word as well as ensuring he'll also make it to his conference call on time. Pepper watches him leave, fighting the urge to laugh aloud, sighing in disappointment as his naked form passes out of her view.

"We'll see who jumps who," she murmurs under her breath to the closed bathroom door.


	17. Chapter 16

Pepper's first encounters with Brian Weber and Brandon Tanner are about as different, in retrospect, as night is from day.

Brian Weber's first meeting with Pepper occurred on a Friday afternoon. He came to her house at her explicit invitation, and he arrived precisely on time. One of Pepper's most clear memories of meeting him is the smile he'd given her through the window beside her front door.

She'd been a little shocked at how boyishly attractive he appeared, not to mention how cheerful and benign, even before she'd turned the deadbolt and stepped back to gesture him inside.

She'd certainly never guessed as he stood on her front porch, gym bag in hand, that one day just knowing him would endanger her life.

"Hello you must be...Pepper? 487 Lindley?" He shoved a slightly wrinkled piece of notebook paper in his back pocket, before extending a hand for a handshake. "I hope that I made it on time...and that it's okay where I parked. I'm afraid that this is a new neighborhood for me to be traveling in and I may have gotten a little lo... Well hello there, Little One..."

Tucker's sudden decision to make a run for the open front door had captured both of their attentions. "Tucker no...damn it watch out! The German Shepard is still tied out next door!"

Brian had unexpectedly come to her rescue, gamely reaching down to scoop up her pet by the scruff off its neck, rather like a mother cat would do for its wandering kitten. He'd earned a mewl of protest and the swipe of a tiny set of claws for his trouble.

"Now now, Gatto, enough of that... Yes I can see, you're very fearsome and tough..." Brian's voice had been amused and affectionately patient as the kitten stopped struggling. Finally Tuck just stopped squalling and tilted his head at Brian inquisitively.

He let out a single mew and was allowed to sit in the palm of Brian's outstretched free hand.

"Oh God I'm sorry!" Pepper had motioned him in before shutting the door. "I didn't think...he didn't hurt you, did he? Do you need a band-aid?"

Brian had only shook his head, his smile growing bigger, "Nah, compared to the old Tom that lived on my block growing up, he's nothing but a snarly cotton ball."

Tucker had chosen that moment to squawk again, and this time the kitten had sounded insulted. Brian bent over to return him to the ground and they both chuckled as the animal stalked away, tail high and nose in the air.

"I think you hurt his ego," Pepper confided with an easy smile, "And don't worry - you're actually here right on time..."

Two minutes later they'd made it into her living room. Brian had spotted her 1850 copy of Tennyson and failed completely in his attempts not to drool.

"If you like that, you should see my Kipling Collection."

She'd enjoyed the conversation that followed so much she'd almost forgotten the whole reason he was there. She'd blushed bright red when he'd asked about her back, nearly twenty minutes later. When she'd apologized for 'wasting his time' he'd only laughed and claimed it was his last appointment of the day, and that it had been ages since he'd met anyone who was as geeky as he was concerning the topic... "It's actually kind of nice…"

The first time she'd met Brian Weber it had been like stumbling across an old friend... She'd been at ease almost in spite of herself, almost from the first moment.

And that had never changed, not even when clothing started coming off.

Yes, it had been a little bit awkward, when she stripped down to bra and panties and laid down on the living room floor, but he'd only draped her with several clean white towels, and begun looking for areas of tension. His tone had become calm and matter of fact, as he located one sore spot after another, releasing various trigger points at the same time that he'd told her about an antique book shop that he often browsed through on the other side of town.

The first time she met a Brian Weber, he'd been relaxed and at ease, and Pepper, almost unconsciously, had found herself mimicking his behavior...

The first time Pepper meets Brandon Tanner, though is an entirely different story.

This time he's the one in serious pain, and she gets almost no warning.

"Ms Potts I thought I should inform you that one of your guests seems to have awakened..." Jarvis' voice over the kitchen loud speaker is more than enough to bring her head up, and then around. She's been carefully slicing up two apples to put atop a pastry pancake that she's readying for the oven.

"Is it Cass or Brandon?" She asks, setting down the knife and going to wash her hands. She frankly hadn't expected to see either of them up for hours yet – and when one does rise, she's expecting it'll be Cassie.

Brandon's just too injured to be up on his own. She doubts he'll make it out of bed.

"G...Ginny?" Before the AI can answer, a male voice interrupts from somewhere behind her. Her name is spoken in a tone hoarse with sleep and confusion, as well as what sounds like a fair bit of pain.

Brandon's standing in kitchen the doorway, or more precisely leaning heavily against door frame.

He's panting heavily – eyes closed in discomfort. His face is tight and in the partial light of the shadowed hallway his eyes appear an eerie blue-green.

"What are...? Where am ...?" He can't seem to come up with complete sentences, as he takes in the unfamiliar surroundings...

Alarmed by the way his hands tighten on the doorframe, and he sways a little, Pepper limps over to grab a stool from beside the counter. "Yeah it's me, and you're okay. We're at a...friend's house. The security here is better than at Cass' which is why she brought you over here last night. "

As she speaks she also motions for Brandon to sit down on the stool she's brought him, but he scarcely seems to notice the gesture in favor of staring at her a little blankly. Shifting awkwardly, she moves the seat directly behind him and then steps forward just long enough to push down gently on his shoulders until he sits down.

"I don't..." Brandon draws a deep breath, then tries again. "You're saying that you know Cass?"

He doesn't sound angry...just in pain and bewildered. Pepper can't exactly blame him, under the current circumstances.

The world has shrunk down to a claustrophobic size as of late.

"Knew her before, no – I met her for the first time last night. Look why don't you let me go wake her up. It'll be easier to explain this together. Besides, you obviously need more pain medication. It hurts just to look at you right now..."

That offer brings a clear reaction: Brandon winces and brings himself upright on the stool. "No. I just...food and ice. I'm a zombie when I'm on narcotics...what day is it today?

"Monday." And the fact he doesn't already know that is only proof he needs to go back to bed.

Pepper doesn't say that to the man in front of her of course, but it doesn't stop her from thinking it. She can't seem to tear her eyes away from the horrid, mottled pattern of bruises that's covering most of his chest.

This was Brandon. Gentle, quiet Brandon. And someone had come perilously close to killing him.

She draws a shaky breath as that truth is driven home yet another time. "Look just let me go get the others...then we'll explain." It'll let her restore her own mental balance if nothing else. Because for all her relief at finding him alive, Pepper hadn't seen this conversation coming.

And now?

She has no fucking clue what to do. With herself, and more importantly, with him.

"Can I at least get some juice first? And extra strength Tylenol?" Brandon's still dazed but his eyes are clearing and his voice is getting stronger. "And maybe a slice of toast – I haven't eaten for hours."

He reaches out a hand as if he means to pat her arm, and then pulls it back as she steps back just a little to stay outside his reach. The action isn't intentional, and isn't meant to insult, but nonetheless Pepper reads a flash of...hurt?...flash through his eyes in response.

He drops his arm and looks at the floor. "Look, I promise that I'm okay, I just need something to eat. Get me something to drink then I'll get out of your hair."

'How exactly? You can barely even walk.' The man she knew before and the stranger in front of her are slowly merging into one.

She's hurt him and she's sorry, but she doesn't know what to say.

He's Brian Weber, but he's not. He's not here at her request. And Pepper is so off balance.

"Bri, I'm sorry..."

"Don't." He interrupts. "We're both a little freaked out. It's okay."

"Cass would want us to get her up," she finally says after a moment or two of uncomfortable silence. Brandon's posture is relaxing though he hasn't raised his eyes to meets her yet again. Pepper knows the claim she's making is probably true. Hell even Tony would be a welcome addition to the party right now, if only to help deflect some of the tension.

'What do you say to a man who you've slept with for money, particularly when you're pretty damn sure it's never going to happen again?'

Brandon just shakes his head. "Cass is currently comatose, Ginny. You could set off a bomb and she's not going to wake up."

It could be true, Brandon would be a better judge then she is. The other man sighs a little, "Look, can you at least tell me where 'here' is too start? So I know where to send the taxi?"

"Tony's house." Though technically Pepper supposes it's less a house and more a mansion.

"And Tony is...?"

"Her employer. Though we've already met, Brandon."

Pepper wobbles a little in relief as Tony's cool tenor fills the room.

"Nos?!" Brandon's eyes widen a little as he pivots on the stool toward the door. Pepper could swear his eyes widen a little as he starts to scoot himself backward, though completely subconsciously.

"Just 'Tony' is fine, Tanner. It's what Pepper's more familiar with anyway." Tony's face is calm - though his eyes are hooded. Brandon's not quite gaping as Tony crosses the kitchen to stand directly in front of him.

"I take it you never knew specifically who she was working for?"

'If this is an intimidation contest, Tony's winning.' Not that Pepper's terribly surprised. It's a scene Pepper's witnessed a thousand times. People rarely forget the first time they meet Tony Stark when he's full of – and surrounded by the symbols of – his own importance. However, it's also the first time that she's actually been personally involved in his posturing.

That thought alone is enough to allow her to take a deep breath and take an emotional step back in order to regain some perspective.

Maybe she doesn't have all the answers right now, but she's not alone. She has two men in the room with her who can partially be described as friends of sorts. Though, maybe for not too much longer. Tony's face is getting a little less blank as he takes in her mildly defensive posture…and her bathrobe. If she doesn't cut him off at the pass, he's going to do something inappropriate, and honestly? She just doesn't have the energy to clean up after him this time.

"Breakfast," she tells him in her own "professional" voice before Brandon can give him an answer. It snaps him out of the look he's got trained onto Brandon, and she holds out the glass with his smoothie in it once she has his attention.

Of course, as he starts to prowl across the kitchen, she wonders if having his full attention is really what she'd wanted. Because she's off kilter, and Tony probably senses it and is looking for someone to blame.

"I'm glad you're out of the shower - Brandon needs food and some Tylenol. You'll need my notes for the conference call, and I need to change."

Her eyes say something else entirely, 'He's hurt Stark, so behave.'

His lips quirk as he lets himself be temporarily rerouted. He stops and searches through one of the cabinets until he comes up with a bottle of Tylenol, then takes the glass of water out of Pepper's hand.

Both are set in front of Brandon with little more than a spare glance as he returns his attention to Pepper.

"You should have told Jarvis to call me."

"It..." The option had completely slipped her mind.

"Not her fault, Nos. I think I caught her off guard." Brandon finally spoken, his voice calm and a little...protective.

Apparently he's picking up on her agitation as well, just not the specific causes.

Tony, being Tony, completely ignores him. "Where are your crutches, Amante?" He's taken in the way she's keeping most of her weight off her bad leg.

"I'm not supposed to be on them any longer, remember?" She flushes, unaccustomed to him publicly using her nickname. Then she leans forward. "I'm fine, Tony. He on the other hand looks awful. Please - try and talk him into taking something stronger for the pain."

"And this a new behavior for you?" he replies just as quietly, though he sighs before turning back to Brandon. "Tanner, Pepper thinks you need more then Tylenol." His tone of voice is a little more demanding than his words; his tone makes it clear that as far as he's concerned, what Pepper wants, Pepper gets.

"Yeah well no offense, Stark, but that's my call to make, not yours and not hers."

Tony blinks, then actually turns to face the other man. He's sure now that if Pepper's upset, Tanner's not directly to blame for it. Still in the past, his use of that particular tone had tended to automatically gain him compliance from just about anyone in Tanner's particular social circle.

Not anymore though, Brandon firmly but apologetically shakes his head. "Look, I appreciate both of your concern, but my body, my choice. I've lost two days to Vicodin already, and there are things I need to see to."

"What things?" Pepper asks, but Tony only holds up a hand to shush her. In that moment, he makes a realization: he's never actually met Brandon Tanner outside an in progress scene. Because the man in front of him is different than he really remembered.

Tanner's in pain certainly, but his expression indicates that he's nobody's pushover, and no matter how much Tony's subconscious would have liked to bully him a little, he's not going to be easily intimidated.

He taps his fingers against his arm as he considers his options. Finally he says, "If you don't take anything else, Pepper will be hovering over you until the next time you pass out, and she's hurt. She shouldn't be on her feet."

"There's an easy solution to that: remove me from her sphere of hovering. As I said I appreciate your hospitality, but it's probably best to end it here. The truth of the matter is that I never would have come here willingly yesterday if I'd actually been asked..."

Pepper winces, remembering her earlier withdrawal "Brandon…I didn't mean to…"

He cuts her of gently. "It's not personal. Like I said earlier, I have things that I need to see to..."

"Things worth getting killed for?" Tony's voice is as still as deep water. Brandon clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably on his seat.

"In my opinion, yeah. I appreciate the offer of a bolthole to recover in, but…trouble's got my name on the top of its list right now, and I'm not going to sit here and watch it circle back to encompass my friends..."

Tony cocks his head, finally seeing a route of argument that will probably work. "I'm not sure you understand what I'm getting at, Tanner, so let me be frank. I'm not doing any of this for Cass, or even for you really. I'm doing this because whatever business you've gotten yourself mixed up in got Pepper shot two days ago. Trouble has already 'circled around.'"

Brandon pales, and sways on his stool for a moment.

"Tony!" Pepper glowers at Tony, because that had not been the kindest way to tell Brandon anything important.

Tony's still looking at Brandon: whose eyes slide shut for a moment as he murmurs something under his breath in a language that Tony can't quite make out.

Pepper steps closer to Brandon, this time making herself reach out to pat his shoulder. "Don't start worrying, Brandon. I'm more or less fine. It was hardly more than a flesh wound, a graze -"

Brandon's eyes snap open, and he's suddenly angry. "Don't give me that crap, Ginny. I've never been him, you're not obligated to wear that face for me."

His tone is enough to make her involuntarily step back at the same time that Tony steps forward. "And what the fuck," his voice is clipped, "does that mean?"

The room falls into cold, deadly silence.

Brandon opens his mouth to reply, then looks at Pepper again and snaps it shut stubbornly. "Nothing. Look all this conversation proves is that it's better for all of us if I get out of town. I promise that when I go, the trouble goes with me."

"Brandon, you can't…"

"It's all right, Ginny…"

"If you think for one second that you're going anywhere…"

"Enough!" An angry contralto fills the room. They all turn as one to see Cassie standing in the doorway. She stalks forward to stand between Tony and her lover.

"Who's Bella?" She snarls a little as Tanner's eyes widen in distress. "Yes, Brandy, after fifteen plus years around you and Jared, I picked up some damn Portuguese."

"No one," Brandon says harshly. He quickly takes a dose of Tylenol - every one of his movements short and angry - before getting off the stool. "I need a shower."

"Answer her question." Tony's smart enough to recognize the relevance of Cass' question. Brandon snarls and spits something back in reply, though again it's in Portuguese, and by Cass' flinching reaction, it's not the answering she's seeking.

"Just calm down, Brandy."

"Stop calling me that! In case you haven't noticed, Cassandra, I'm not fucking three."

They're not getting anywhere. Not in this way. It's starting to feel a lot like poking a caged animal, and it makes Pepper a little sick. They need a retreat to separate corners for awhile. "Okay this is getting us nowhere. Tony, your meeting starts in five minutes or so. You need to go put on a tie."

Her voice is a little faint, but she presses the glass with his smoothie in it into his hand rather commandingly. "The notes you'll need are on my desk. Brandon, go take that shower. There's a bathroom across the hall from the room you woke up in. Cass, I can point you in the direction of another bathroom if you want to clean up too. Brandon by the time you get out there'll be food waiting on the counter for you."

Cass wants to object to the interruption, Pepper can see it in her eyes, but she must be more intimidating than she realizes, because after a moment studying her lover, the other woman nods her head roughly. "Fine, truce until we clean up."

Tony's no better, so she pokes him in the chest. "Meeting. Now." It is not a suggestion.

His nostrils flare, but he nods, turns on his heel, and leaves the room.

As far as goodbyes go, Pepper knows it probably doesn't look good. As far as they go, that was positively docile.

"Do you need help getting down there?" Pepper asks directly, looking and Brandon again.

He shakes his head and shrugs away from Cass when she reaches for him. "I just need time alone."

Cass flinches, Pepper notes a little grimly.

She looks at Brandon, because she's the only one he seems to be responding to sanely, "Just be careful okay? I've spent the last few days wondering if you were dead or alive. I'm going to be really pissed off if you pass out and drown in the bathroom," she informs him.

That seems to thaw him - or perhaps cool him off - a little. After a short nod, he starts his slow way back towards the bedrooms.

Pepper sighs in relief as the crisis is diverted, at least momentarily. She has no idea what's going to happen next, or what Tony's going to do now that Brandon made that crack about her treatment at his hands.

'There's going to be hell to pay for that one.'

She's not sure if Tony's going to be upset because he thinks the accusation is or isn't true.

"Well that went well." Cass' dry voice makes her jump. She'd been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized the other woman was still in the kitchen – rather than retreating to the second guest bathroom.

Cass looks calmer, which she supposes is a good thing. "That's not exactly how I would have thought to phrase it." Pepper rubs her forehead and turns back to the apples on the cutting board. Enough time has elapsed that they're started to turn brown. "I honestly hadn't expected them to be at each other's throats like that. I mean, I know Tony's..." Pepper trails off.

That had just been insane.

Cass sighs deeply, "It's my fault. I can't believe he got out of bed without me waking. Brandy would have handled this better if he'd had some…warning where we were."

"I didn't exactly handle our reintroduction gracefully," Pepper is quick to share the blame. "Though for the record I would suggest you stop calling him that for awhile."

Cass falls silent, then nods a little. "I guess he does feel like other people have been making his choices for him. And, I never, ever should have translated what he said under his breath like that." She growls under her breath, "He's just so…frustrating sometimes."

"Since when is asking about a name a translation?" Pepper's look is wry...but she shakes her head. Cass' complaint is familiar, she was thinking the same about Tony. "Tony's the one who got him riled up. He was pretty cruel about the way Brian learned about my accident."

"He...he knows...or suspects at least, exactly who's trying to kill him." Cass murmurs under her breath.

Pepper gapes, "You got all that from one whispered sentence in Portuguese?"

Cass meets her eyes, "Directly translated, 'What have you done, Bella?'" That sounds pretty concrete to me."

Pepper nods her understanding. "That's beside the point. Brandon's in pain and we were basically ganging up on him. Yes, we have a right to know what's going on, but he wasn't going to say anything with everyone agitating him like that."

That should have been obvious, but she says it just in case it hadn't been.

Cass' smile is wry. "I know, and I knew better. As I said, I really blew it. He's pissed as hell now. There'll be brick walls more willing to share information than he'll be." She shrugs a little. "Give him a couple of hours to cool off. Maybe by tonight he'll talk to me."

Pepper shakes her in disbelief. "I'll say this much: he was never this...hot tempered... before. Still waters apparently run pretty damn deep."

"How often do you blow up at Stark?" Cass asks rhetorically, then shakes her head. "Massage therapists," she says the phase so that Pepper can hear the quotation marks, "lose clients if they get pissy like that." Pepper nods but Cass continues, "Still, maybe it's something in the water. I've known Nos almost fifteen years. He has never been that...."

"Asshole-ish?" Pepper shoots back just a little bit whimsically.

Cass laughs and nods. "Exactly." However, the look she gives Pepper from the corner of her eye is speculative. "Is he really that threatened by Brandy?"

Pepper shrugs, "I've told him there's no need to be. It hasn't helped much unfortunately."

"Men." Cass says with a shake of her head, "Damn impossible men." She sighs and leans against the counter. "Why couldn't I just have been born gay? Life would be so much easier."

"Because men are nice to have around when they're not being assholes?" Pepper finishes dicing the apples, quickly sprinkles them on top of the oven pancake, and pops the pan into the oven.

"That's debatable," Cass informs her a little bit wryly.

Pepper nods, than asks a question she's been wondering about. She's beginning to suspect Cass chose to stay because she needed a few minutes of what amounted to idle chit chat. "So Brandon speaks Portuguese, huh? I didn't see that one coming."

"Jared and he both grew up in the projects over on the south side. Their mothers were best friends and they shared the same Portuguese nanny before they started school and then after in the evenings."

"He doesn't exactly have the diction for someone from that side of town." Pepper acknowledges dryly.

Cass nods a little. "Yeah well, college beat the rough ghetto edge out of Jared, and since he and Brandon have been best friends for years I guess you could say that Jared beat the ghetto out of him."

"He certainly hides it well – he's certainly more well read then a lot of people..." Pepper flushes a little as she remembers how she knows that. The blush only makes Cass look at her curiously. "The first time Brandon came over to work on my back, we talked about Tennyson for the first twenty minutes." She explains a little awkwardly.

Cass nods, and Pepper pauses a moment then jerks her head toward the dish on the counter. "Well, this is going to cook for about half an hour, and I really should clean up." 'Or Tony will cart me off to the shower first thing.' "Can I point you in the direction of another bathroom?"

Cass nods, "And after that – well it's probably best that we keep Brandy and Nos separated for awhile...let tempers cool. So when is Tony going to be finished with his meeting, do you think?"

"Good question. I think I penciled in an hour, but it could be more or less than that, depending on his patience and the ability of the CEO of Pacific Tech to entertain him."

"I suggest we divide and conquer then...after I shower I'll railroad Brandon off into a corner somewhere for awhile – find a movie or something. You can hopefully use the time to cool down Tony."

'I'm not sure cooling down is what Tony needs.' Pepper flushes. "Make sure he gets something to eat. He was complaining about not having eaten in two days. And make yourselves at home. Jarvis can help you with just about anything. All you have to do is address him by name."

Cass nods, glancing down the hall toward her and Brandon's shared bedroom. "Once more into the fire..." she mutters under her breath.

"You're telling me," Pepper echoes back, once the kitchen is empty.


	18. Chapter 17

Tony starts jerking off his tie and kicking off his shoes as soon as his video screen goes dead. It'd been a challenge to have a rational, logical, discussion with the head of Pacific Tech, rationalism and logic being hard to come by commodities lately. Thankfully, it's the last meeting he has to have until Wednesday, so he's got time to work his tension out.

"Jarvis, where's Pepper?" He snatches the dirty glass off his desk and strides off through the house, hoping that everyone who isn't Pepper has the sense to stay out of his way.

"In the master suite, Sir. Folding the last of her laundry on the bed."

'Thank god.' Tony puts the glass in the dishwasher, then heads towards the bedroom. If she'd been with the others he'd have had to try and be civil, and he's frankly feeling anything but polite at the moment.

In the master bedroom, Pepper's sitting on what he now supposes is 'her' side of the bed. There's a pack of ice resting against her thigh while she sorts through a pile of airy looking silk and light colored Egyptian cotton.

It's probably clothing that he'd be more interested in if he wasn't so frustrated at present.

"How'd it go?" Pepper voice is carefully cheerful, as if she's aware of his mood, but refuses to be particularly cowed by it.

"Fine. They want another meeting, this time with the Board. They have a pitch to make." Tony throws his rumpled tie on the bed before flopping down beside it. His impact makes Pepper - and her tidy piles of laundry – bounce a bit.

"You like what you're hearing then?" She's giving him a chance to talk awhile about work, which he supposes makes sense, since normally chatting about his latest pet project pretty thoroughly relaxes him.

Tony though, is in no mood to dance around the real issues. "What I'm hearing from them, yeah. From Tanner?" Tony rakes his hands through his hair and groans. "For the record Pepper, the next person who gets you shot who isn't me, is on their own. Because in my opinion, Brandon's being a real ass."

"You would know." Pepper injects a little dryly. "After all he mimicked back pretty much exactly the same attitude that you gave him."

Tony glares but Pepper doesn't look the least bit apologetic. She never raises her voice, but it's clear she's also not bending too much to placate him. "Honestly Tony, I know you two have issues, but that tact isn't going to get us any answers, much less any respect. Don't you think a less…looming…tactic might have had better results?"

"I don't give a fuck if he respects me. He got you shot and he won't tell us why. I'd kick his ass if somebody hadn't already…he certainly doesn't need coddling."

Pepper sighs and puts down the article of clothing she's folding. "Tony, I know you don't like him, but it's time for a reality check here. I am the one who was actually shot and I'm not holding a grudge, so why do you think that you have the right to play ball-buster with him?"

Tony opens his mouth to protest but she holds up a hand. "No. None of this was deliberate on Brandon's part. He certainly didn't intend for me to get involved, and he feels like shit now that he knows what happened. Despite all that I think you'd probably show more empathy to Obadiah at the moment."

That brings Tony up short. He actually gapes. "I'm not that bad…"

"Says who? Brandon didn't want to hurt anyone. Maybe he made some bad choices, but he's as much a victim right now as I am."

"Like hell. He chose to put himself at risk -" Tony protests.

Pepper interrupts, "Yeah, Stark? Well in case you forget I made choices in all of this too, and you keep telling me I need to give myself a break. Or are you taking that back?"

Tony closes his mouth, because there's nothing he can say to that statement.

Well okay there are several things, but they all make him seem petty. 'How typical. The one time she starts reflecting my own words back at me is the time I don't want her to.'

She's asking him to put his money where his mouth is - and that's hard. Harder than she's ever going to realize, because the truth is that part of Tony's problem has nothing to do with the fact that Pepper was shot, or that she and Tanner were sleeping together. Part of his problem, the part that's the hardest for him to ignore and move past, is that Brandon Tanner is the one that Pepper turned to when she needed someone to take care of her. Brandon not him.

And that fact is more than just a little emasculating. Not that Tony's ready to admit any of this to her.

"He…he got you shot Pepper." Damn it, shouldn't that enough reason for him to hate the guy? Judging by Pepper's expression, apparently not.

"Unintentionally. It's not like he's been vacationing in Maui, Tony. Exactly how much more 'retribution' do you think he's got coming?"

He scowls and Pepper reaches over to take his hand. "Look, I'm not saying you have no right to get angry, but please don't let blind hatred turn you into someone neither of us will like in the morning. Nothing about this mess is as black and white as you want it to be."

Tony groans, closing his eyes. She's right. He hates it, but most of what she says is still true. It's hard though. She doesn't understand, what it would be like to actually lose her. Not just physically either, but emotionally. And this whole situation with Tanner just makes it so clear to him how close he could have come to losing exactly that.

"I'll try." The statement is grudging, but resigned. Because it's what she's asking, and it's something he can give her.

Pepper's tone softens, "Thank you, Amatore. That's really all that I expect." The nickname jerks Tony's head around and he blinks at her a little dazedly.

She'd never asked before what 'Amante' meant, but she clearly knows anyway. The edges of Pepper's mouth curl up. "Yes Stark, I am capable of eventually finding an Italian-English dictionary..."

Instead of complaining more about Tanner's remark about his "not being Stark," or wallowing in guilt that he'd somehow made Pepper's life a living hell that she hadn't even tried to get out of, Tony jerks on the hand held in his, and pulls Pepper down along side him so that they're both more or less rolling around in her clean laundry.

"Tony, my clothes..." Pepper squeals as a piece of silk clings to her hair. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to avoid static cling!?" She pokes at him teasingly, making no effort to actually pull away. In fact she even snuggles in closer, clearly enjoying the cuddling.

So Tony laughs as he extracts what turns out to be a temptingly small pair of black underwear out of her hair. "Depending on what article of clothing is clinging to which _asset_, Ms. Potts..." He dangles the panties in front of her. "Well, in some cases I'm all for it."

Pepper only giggles harder. She snatches back the garment in question or at least tries to - they end up in an almost juvenile tussle.

"You know how static electricity is generated, Potts?" Tony asks after several breathless minutes. With the way they're now sliding against each other, each trying to come away with the prize, the direction of his thoughts is just a bit obvious.

Her chuckle this time is lower - more throaty. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

"It involves two bodies creating friction," he murmurs in her ear, rather unnecessarily.

Pepper arches and moans as his lips close around the rim of her ear, then her free hand reaches out pretty much blindly, trying to shove the rest of the clothing off the bed where it will get less wrinkled. "I'm not quite sure I follow, Mr. Stark. How about a hands on demonstration..."

His hands let go of the underwear in order to get them both positioned to his satisfaction. Once Pepper's head is resting on a pillow, he levers himself over her, immediately going for her neck as his hands start working the base of her shirt free. Pepper moans in what is obvious approval, until his weight shifts just the wrong way. Then she gasps in pain, causing him to stiffen automatically above her as her hand drops to her thigh.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot." he murmurs repeatedly as he rolls to the side. Before she can object, he pulls her with him so that she ends up half sprawled over his chest. "How's your leg?" His hand creeps down the back of her thigh, massaging as it goes. "You avoided the question earlier when I asked."

She gasps in pain again as he reaches the row of stitches. "Sore," she admits plainly. "When I started walking on it this morning, I didn't expect that it would cramp up to quite the extent that it did."

His touch lightens and shifts until he's delicately stroking just above the back of her knee. "You should try stretching after your bath tonight. I'll even help if you like."

Pepper shivers at the sensation, then whimpers a little. "Probably not a bad idea. In the meantime..." She shifts her hips a little further, encouraging him to shift onto his back, until she's the one basically laying on top, "I'm thinking we're probably going to need to get a little...creative...finding a workable position."

"I have always enjoyed experimentation." Tony shivers as Pepper's fingers start working on the buttons of his collar. "And I can think of a few ideas that might work."

"Maybe so," Pepper agrees. Her lips bend to kiss the exposed skin. "Though before you get too excited, I remind you of our…earlier agreement…"

When he raises an eyebrow in question she grins, "The way I remember it, Mr. Stark, I now have a free pass to feel you up whenever I want to."

"I think I do faintly recall something about agreeing to be your cuddle slut." Tony pauses, and lifts his head to look around. "Speaking of which, where's the fur ball?"

Pepper blinks in surprise. "I haven't seen him since I first got up...Jarvis, have you seen Tuck?"

"Ms. Potts, your cat is currently attempting to reach the seagulls flying past the west bay windows." The A.I's reply is patient – even a little amused.

Pepper smirks down at Tony. "He's fine. You're safe from claws and curious eyes for the moment."

"I'll be very disappointed if you're right about that, Amante." Tony pulls her hands to his mouth, kissing the palms before he pulls her right index finger into his mouth.

Pepper sucks in a sudden and distinctly shaky breath. "It's hard to reach while I'm lying on top of you."

Tony laughs in spite of himself, rolling them carefully on their sides again. "Then I suggest that we solve that by letting me shift toward the head of the bed. You can sit however you're most comfortable."

Pepper nods and starts to shift upward, removing all but her bra and panties as she does so. "You're wearing way too many clothes, Stark. So strip."

"You say that with the assurance of someone who's been practicing in the mirror." Tony's voice is the rushed flat tone he takes on when teasing. "You haven't been, have you, Potts?" He doesn't bother undoing the other buttons. Pepper's gotten enough of them free that he can just pull his shirt over his head. "What else have you been practicing?"

"Be good and you might just find out," She teases back, settling so she's sitting atop his outstretched thighs, then bending her head in pursuit of more skin.

"As far as bribes go, I think that's the most promising one I've ever gotten..." Tony trails off as Pepper's fingers start trailing down across his chest. She finds his nipples and tweaks them softly, grinning at the way he moans in reaction.

His breath grows ragged as she strokes the fabric over his fly, though she makes no move yet to unfasten the buttons at his waist.

"Pepper, if I admit I've been day dreaming about this for years, does it make me a pig?" His voice is breathless as he squirms under the weight of her body.

She grins and squeezes his crotch experimentally. "Maybe...though I suppose I shouldn't blame you too much, after the gentleman you've proved you can be over the last couple of days."

Tony curses and reaches for her. He catches her off guard when his hand wraps around her wrist, but instead of pulling her hand away, he holds it on him more firmly. His other hand pulls her into kissing range. The intensity with which his lips find hers is a little bit shocking.

When he finally pulls back again they're both breathing hard. "Right now, Amante, I'm definitely not feeling like a gentle anything..." he admits after a moment

"Fair enough," she murmurs, finally unfastening his trousers' clasps. She wiggles back just a little bit more before sliding down the zipper. Tony's boxers are absent. "You are such an exhibitionist, not that I'm really surprised…" she murmurs, her hands move slowly as she pulls and tugs and tucks fabric out of her way. She's left chewing on her lower lip as she finally gets the chance to look him over at her leisure.

Honestly, she's not sure they're going to actually be able to hold out an entire week before having sex.

"As previously established Amante...that's detail's open to renegotiation." She blinks and looks at him in shock. He grins a little. "I take it you didn't realize you were saying that last part aloud?"

Pepper shakes her head, blushing, then licks her lips. "It's tempting but…truthfully I'm not sure I can right now. I'd probably have to ask you to stop because I'd end up with cramps in my bad leg."

His expression grows tender. "Then don't worry. Amante. We have plenty of time." This time when he kisses her, it's gentler, but all-consuming. He makes love to her with his mouth; when his hands start roaming her body, they're more of an extension of the kiss than anything else.

It's certainly enough incentive for her to resume what she'd been doing.

When Pepper's hand finally closes around him, they both groan and Tony's hips jerk upward involuntarily. "Too much?" she queries softly, palm moving in a gentle squeezing rhythm along his shaft.

"God, no," is his hoarse, but throaty reply. His eyes are halfway shut. "Pepper, don't take this as criticism, but I'm probably not going to last all that long this first time."

She leans forward to nibble the curve of his ear. "If you did after the past couple of days, Stark, I'd probably get a little intimidated."

His lips quirk, but he has no reply.

Pepper's hand continue to stroke, and Tony's eyes drift all the way shut. It's nice to be touched by a hand other than his own for once. However, the part of him that's not totally absorbed by the slide of her hand against his erection – it's a very small part – thinks that she's going to have a thing or two to learn about stamina once she's up to the lesson.

He hasn't failed to notice that her typical reaction to their couplings isn't just pleasure, but a kind of bewildered surprise.

Not that it really matters... He groans somewhat helplessly as Pepper grows more confident in her actions. She's his now, and she's open to experimentation. That definitely enough to get by on. And as he said, they have time.

"It's okay, you know, to let go if you're ready." Pepper shifts from nibbling on his earlobe to tracing his lips with her tongue. "Though... if there's anything in particular you like, please feel free to tell me."

He buries his hands in her hair and takes biting little kisses from her lips. "Honestly, Pep? This is the first time in eight months that I've had someone else's hands on my body. So I'm not really looking to be in the driver's seat right now. You're doing just fine."

"I don't even get a hint, then?" Her voice is husky and whimsical. She starts to scoot backwards, "Guess I'll just have to do what I do best in these situations then. Improvise."

Her head bends and his eyes slide shut as wet heat closes tightly around him. "Oh my fucking..." Tony gasps as Pepper leaves tentative behind for confident, leaving him mere putty in her hands as her fingers slip between his legs and find his balls. Like hell he's not going to enjoy being at her mercy with regularity.

She's right about one thing - it really doesn't take long.

"Pep..." His voice is strained, hoarse with warning. She doesn't pull back though, even if she does jerk in surprise for a moment as he comes. When he finally drifts down from the endorphin rush he's not quite sure what to expect. Some women don't seem to mind swallowing; others can't stand it. Pepper, thankfully, is just chuckling to herself.

Her expression is wry. "Well, I won't ever not know what that tone means again..."

"You doubted before?" He gazes at her under heavy eyelids. She's looking damn proud of herself.

She shrugs a little. "I don't have a lot of practice at this. Fortunately I enjoy a challenge...and I've been told I learn quick."

"Fortunately." For him. "Come here, woman." While her nearly naked body hovering over his thighs is quite a sight to see, he'd prefer her where he can wrap her in his arms.

She lets him tug her upward willingly, until she's laying sprawled atop him again, her head cradled against his shoulder. Her voice is warm with laughter when she speaks again, "I take it someone's feeling a little bit more like himself?"

Tony lifts an eyebrow. She hadn't so much as flinched at his arrogance. He'd been certain that calling her "woman" would have at least earned him a slap.

A girly slap, but still.

"Trolling for compliments, Ms. Potts?" He strokes her hair, voice heavy with bemusement.

She grins, "No...just making an observation is all."

She lays there another moment or so, enjoying the way his hands stroke gently up and down her back. The touch feels so good that it practically leaves her purring, which Tony quickly notices.

"You sound like your cat..." Tony murmurs into the stillness.

"Now you sound like you're trolling for compliments. Should I tell you that your raw talent for petting is unsurpassed?"

Tony nearly chokes before he starts laughing, rolling over on her as he does so.

Pepper goes along willingly enough, though she does groan again as he shifts his weight unintentionally to her bad leg.

The way he curses against her neck is in stark contrast to his previous mirth. "Damn it, Pepper." He pulls back far enough to look down at her leg. The black stitches are ugly against her fair skin. "How bad exactly does your leg hurt? You're starting to make me wonder if you're getting an infection."

She winces apologetically. "It's just the muscles are all knotted up. As I said we'll be fine if we shift to another position."

He glowers at her, and reaches down to her thigh. The muscles are tight and hard, yes, but not abnormally warm. She'd probably over-strained them in order to straddle him earlier.

"You are going to stay right where you are." He gets up and goes into the bathroom. After taking a quick minute to wash up, he comes back dressed in a pair of lose boxers, carrying a hand towel and a tube of Icy Hot.

He sits back down beside her on the bed, squeezing a generous dollop of the topical analgesic onto his palm. "So Pepper, do you have some kind moral objection to Percocet? Or did you just forget to mention you have an ulcer when the doctor prescribed your pain medication?"

"I didn't think I'd really need anything," she murmurs under her breath, just a tad bit guiltily.

"And you based that decision on what prior experience?" He starts to massage the ointment in, starting high and slowly working down towards the wound.

"You." She glowers back at him, with rather the same results as his own disapproval is having on her: none. The medication does its work though, and the muscles start to relax. "You never take anything stronger than Tylenol when you have stitches, Tony."

"And you call me seven different kinds of idiot. Do I get to return the favor?"

She shrugs again. "I just know, historically, that I have better than average pain tolerance. I thought I could handle it."

'And if that right there isn't the sum of nearly all of our problems.' "Pepper just because you can handle a lot of pain in an emergency doesn't mean you should force yourself to do so on a regular basis if there's another option present."

She doesn't look like she agrees, so he tries another tactic.

"Look it's not worth arguing about. Let's stick with the practical. Once we're done here, we're going to go fetch your crutches, since you obviously can't support your own weight without hurting yourself."

"The doctor said two days on the crutches, Tony. I could end up hurting myself even more if I baby the injury too long."

"The doctor said two days, at a minimum...and if you're that concerned, we can always give him a call and confirm it's okay to stay off the leg a couple of days longer. It might be wise to do so anyway, just to rule out any possibility of infection."

"I loathe crutches, Stark..." Pepper groans aloud. She hates how close the statement comes to sounding whiney.

"Your other option," he says, raising his voice slightly to make himself heard. "Is to let me help you get around for a couple of days." She makes a face and he taps her nose chidingly, "Pepper, there's no one here who's gong to judge you for needing help."

"I know…I know…" She grumbles. "I'm just used to being able to do things for myself."

"The world isn't going to end if we reverse roles for a few weeks," Tony says quietly. Deadly seriously. His hands are intent on their task, but his eyes aren't as grave as she'd expected them to be when he looks up at her. "You're supposed to be on vacation, Potts. How hard can it be to get used to being pampered?"

Her expression turns wry. "The last time I tried it, Tony...well it didn't exactly turn out too well."

Okay, so her last attempt at carving out some time for herself and resulted in her getting shot. It's not as if he's going to allow THAT to happen again. She must know that. "Yes, well, as long as you don't surprise me while I'm upgrading the repulsors on my suit, you'll probably be able to manage just fine." She's still dressed only panties and a bra. Tony leans down to brush his lips over her navel. "Give me a chance to spoil you a little."

She sighs a little then nods her head. "I promise to at least try."

Tony smirks up at her. "Come on, and admit it. You've been waiting for this opportunity for years now."

"What opportunity is that?" God, his hands are so strong. The tension is her leg never stood a chance.

"The chance to give me a taste of my own medicine. Don't tell me you never harbored the fantasy of having me at your every beck and call." He winks, "And if we're speaking of things you shouldn't tell me, please don't mention I was strolling around the mansion in stilettos. I really don't have the legs for it."

Pepper bursts into uncontrollable giggles at that image. "Tony, I can honestly state that I've never wanted to see you in any of my clothing."

He grins even broader, raspberrying her belly. "Good, cause I'd have to shave all over before I could pull off that backless, blue dress."

She starts giggling harder, unconsciously bringing her knees up to cradle him against her. He shifts, scooting up and bracing his weight on his arms above her. The hand that isn't covered with Icy Hot starts playing with her hair. "Honestly, Pepper. I know there have been times that I've been hell. Mainly because there's been times when that's exactly what I was trying to be. You must have contemplated payback."

"Maybe. Occasionally. But for the record my revenge fantasies tended to be more about creative retribution and less about lying around with you feeding me bon-bons."

"No fantasies of me peeling grapes for you and rubbing your feet, hmm?" She shakes her head, and Tony's smile turns a little wry. "What about multiple Tony Starks, running about and meeting your every need?" He has to smirk at the astonished look on the face below his, though the flush that overtakes it is really quite charming. "You are so easy to read sometimes, Potts. You should have seen your face at the club last night..."

Pepper rallies to nudge him in the rib cage. "Yeah well, one of you is usually two handfuls. The idea of you with a twin or a brother is outright terrifying... Besides, you have to remember that I had no idea what we'd encounter walking into that place."

Tony only chuckles, "I know, and I could tell you were a little dismayed by the thought of two of me being around to chase your distractingly well-fitted skirts."

Pepper snorts. "If there were two of you, Tony, I'd probably have to commit myself to a mental institution."

"No you wouldn't. We'd take good care of you." He bends his head to nuzzle the side of her neck. "Real good care."

She moans a little, but decides there's no point in protesting any further. "So...what's the plan? For the next few hours, I mean? Well short of us running down to the kitchen to grab some more to eat?"

"My schedule is free until Wednesday." He sighs once, deeply, then pushes himself up. "Otherwise? I am starving, Pep, and not just for food."

Her expression is apologetic as she unwinds her arms from around him. "I understand. Though as I said our options are currently limited. How about I promise to take some Percocet while we're eating? You can owe me a 'rain check' once it kicks in?"

Tony nods. "How kind of you to offer me a win-win situation." He ducks down for a quick kiss, and rolls off the bed.

Pepper follows, glancing around for her clothing. Unable to find what she'd had on before, she settles for a familiar and hugely comfortable skirt that's on the floor right beside the bedside table.

"Mind handing me that green blouse?" She points out what she's looking for to Tony, who retrieves it with a nod, and helpfully buttons her up.

"I'm surprised you even know how to do up a woman's buttons, Stark." Pepper grins up at him.

He snorts, grinning back. "I have lots of hidden depths, Potts."

"Any of them include making omelettes?"

Tony shrugs. "Sometimes. Though admittedly more often, I end up with veggies in scrambled eggs with cheese."

Pepper rolls her eyes, "Oh well, I suppose no one can be good at everything."

"That sounded suspiciously like an admission of limitations, Potts." Tony pulls on a pair of sweats and - in deference to their guests - a t-shirt with a reinforcement patch over the heart.

Pepper grins. "You've forgotten more about engineering than most people will ever know, Tony. Forgive me if I find it a little reassuring that you can't boil water."

"I can boil water." His tone is half amused, half defensive. "What I can't do is flip an omelette. And it's the eggs' fault, not mine."

"Dexterity issues?" Pepper can't resist the good natured dig.

He glares, then strides across the room and scoops her up. "You'd better hope I don't have dexterity issues, Potts." He growls good naturedly.

She chuckles. "Tony, unruffle those feathers. I'm only kidding. Believe me when I say I have no complaints at all about what you can do with your hands."

"Are you sure? Because I could probably erase any doubts later. But I really do have to feed you first, otherwise you won't last long enough to appreciate it."

She shifts her head enough to nibble on his ear again. "Promises, promises, Tony."

"You know, I just decided what we need to do with the rest of our day, Pepper."

"What? Organize the silver? Clean the bathrooms?" She says mock innocently. "Or are you finally going to get around to giving your Cobra a facelift?"

His steps slow a little. "Actually..." Pepper can't tell if the distracted tone in his voice is real or put on.

"Yes?" Her voice is a promising growl as she whispers in his ear.

"I really do need to start looking around for replacement parts for the Cobra..."

Pepper stiffens, only to have him burst out laughing and tighten his grip. "God, Potts," He practically chortles, "If you could just see the look on your face!"

Pepper scowls. "Tony, do you remember earlier when I first mentioned creative retribution? Don't tempt me to start demonstrating it."

"I'm shaking in my boots," he teases.

She whacks him with her free hand. "See if you feel the same when you find your ass glued to the toilet one night at 2 am."

"Oooh, nasty. Also kind of vicious. I'm not sure you're ready to start that war yet, Amante." They reach the kitchen and he sets her down on a stool. "So, are you completely disheartened by my lack of omelette making skills, or would French Toast suit instead?"

"French toast would be fine. And you underestimate my skills. It's amazing what you can learn working as dock worker for an entire summer up at youth camp."

"Youth camp?" Tony looks...intrigued by the prospect of this information.

"No, I was never involved in a panty raid, before you bother to ask."

"Pity. I'm more interested in this job of yours. I don't suppose you got to wear a bikini?"

"No, Tony. And I didn't give mouth to mouth either to anyone either, if that was your next question."

"I mourn the suffering this fact undoubtedly caused the male campers."

Tony pulls out the loaf of bread they'd bought the night before, and starts cutting thick slices. "Do you want bacon with this?"

Tony nearly slices off the tip of her finger with the knife when Pepper carries on blithely. "Sure. No bikini but I did spend most of the summer soaking wet."

Tony carefully puts the knife down and turns to face her. "When did you become evil, Pepper?" He asks her curiously

"Become?" Her smile is not quite innocent. "What makes you assume that I haven't always been?"

"Not around me." He strolls towards her, settling his hands on her waist when he gets to her. "That's not to say that I'm not enjoying every minute of it..." He leans in for another quick kiss.

She shrugs a little, "You're normally evil enough on your own, Tony, without me offering additional encouragement."

It's more complicated than that of course, though Pepper doesn't know quiet how to explain it to him. After...earlier...in the bedroom, well simply put she feels more at ease. It's as if both of them are finding their natural balance again.

"It's not a complaint, so don't stop on my account. I'm enjoying this side of you." He bends his head to suck lightly at her collarbone. His best attempts at giving her a hickie are interrupted by a soft knock and a slightly embarrassed "Ahem."

"Sorry," Cass murmurs from the doorway, her face a little red. "I didn't mean to…" She shrugs, "I'm hungry."

Tony sighs, mutters something unintelligible into Pepper's neck, then straightens. "I'm making French toast and bacon, Cass, and there's enough fruit in the fridge for a week's worth of fruit salads if you want to start slicing."

Pepper's face is warm as she eases back down onto the kitchen stool. "If you wouldn't mind getting me something while you're over there, Cass, I'd like a couple of rambutans, please. They're the small circular fruit on the bottom shelf that are kind of...well… fuzzy."

Cass goes to retrieve what is requested. "You eat these?" she asks hefting a fruit to study it a little skeptically.

"Pepper's always been a brave soul when it comes to experimentation," Tony unthinkingly chimes in.

"Tony!" Pepper's shocked as her face goes from light to dark red.

"What?" He spins around, clearly clueless to what set her off. "Pepper, I don't care what you say, that fruit is plain scary."

"It's okay, Pepper," Cass says with a wink. "I'm going to assume he was referring to culinary experimentation."

Tony finally 'gets' it, and to Cass' amazement it's his turn to flush. The look he shoots Pepper is distinctly apologetic. She's not used to him being quite so attuned to the emotional needs of the women he's with.

Cass can't resist the urge to tease them both just a little bit more out of simple curiosity. "Of course, considering who we're talking about, iron nerves more or less just have to come with the territory."

Tony snorts softly. "Here we go again, painting me as the Big Bad Wolf or something."

Cass raises an eyebrow at that, then looks over to Pepper. "The way he protests you'd think he's under the false impression that he doesn't deserve the title."

Pepper shrugs. "I don't know, he's always seemed more like the Little-Red-Riding Suit type to me."

There's a moment of silence as Tony and Cass both digest this. Tony's eyes narrow and Cassie groans at the pun as she grabs the fruit and hands it to Pepper.

"Snarky. Well I can see why the two of you get along. You must keep him on his toes."

"Years of practice, and it's usually the other way around. Though for the record, Cass, when you consider how I've been around him constantly almost 10 years, I don't see much point in anyone trying to scare me with any of his old war stories. "

She's exaggerating her point a little, but Pepper hasn't missed the way the topic of his past at the club makes Tony all but flinch. She figures that he's earned the right to choose when and what to reveal about his own sexual history.

Cass for what it's worth, seems to sense the seriousness of the comment, because she studies Pepper hard for the space of a heartbeat before nodding her head. "Fair enough, at least about the non PG stuff, though I won't promise the same about the non-risqué stories." She grins and then winks at Tony. "After all, what are those late teens and early twenties even for, if not accumulating blackmail material?"

Tony snorts, "This from the woman who once let Jared convince her she was about to be arrested by what turned out to be a stripper. Be careful who you try to blackmail, Cassie."

Cass looks unimpressed. "And?! Jared pranked all of us, occasionally, Stark. It was practically required for group membership." Her expression turns wistful. "Hell, we all got taken in at least once - the only one of us who ever saw through all his scams immediately was Brandy. And I never knew if that was because he'd known him so long, or because he was actually helping Jared with all of his plotting."

The mention of Brandon's name effectively manages to kill any further amused recollections: Tony's face goes carefully blank. "I never realized they were so close. Tanner tended to keep pretty much to the margins of the group when I was around."

Cass nods to that. "It's not really surprising. He was a little shy when he was young. Back in those days he and Jare had an on-again-off-again sort of thing. You know how Jared was, Nos – he'd flirt with a chair if that was all that was available, but he wasn't big on commitment. Still, even when they weren't sharing a bed they had this weird bond between them. They just 'got' each other, I guess, after growing up together. You know what I mean?"

Silence again, though this time more thoughtful. Pepper can see Tony's face shift as he starts to process this information.

"How'd Brandon take it when Jared died?" Pepper asks the question softly, just to move forward the conversation. Because she knows this look on Tony's face – he's about to slip into another round of brooding. And brooding is well and good in small doses, but not when done constantly.

Cass shrugs a little. "Better than any of us expected, given that we all thought that he'd completely come apart. He was just…a rock. I think he lost it once in the week before the funeral. Other than that…?" She shrugs.

"He crash at some point?" Tony asks after a moment. "Actually deal with the grief?"

Cass shook her head. "I don't know. If he did, he did so outside public viewing. He took the money Jared left him in his will, spotted me half to buy out the club and used the rest to put himself through a two year massage accreditation program."

"Probably kept him sane," Pepper murmurs almost to herself. "That kind of pain's easier to handle if you keep yourself busy."

Though Pepper doesn't see it, Tony's eyes narrow a little at the comment. Because Pepper speaks not just as one who's being speculative, but one with personal experience. Cass has raised an eyebrow as well, though not one that's particularly judgmental. Pepper shrugs a little before continuing. "I've lost a couple of people myself, including my sister when I was nineteen"

Cass shrugs herself. "Maybe work is a coping mechanism, but that doesn't mean that it's necessarily healthy." She sighs, "What I wouldn't give to have Jared here right now. Even for half an hour. He never would have let things go so far south with Brandy."

"We all assume the world would be better if the ones we've lost had been here to save us from ourselves." Tony says softly.

"Not always." Pepper counters Tony's quiet comment softly. She shrugs when Tony looks at her. "There are a few people from over the years, that I can honestly say I wouldn't want to face again." The silence that fills the kitchen is heavy and a little but awkward, but Pepper can see that neither Tony nor Cass are in the mood to dispel it. They're both wrapped up in their own mental struggles at least for the time being.

'Well, it's not as if I don't have practice at breaking up awkward silences caused by Tony…' "Speaking of moving forward, I seem to remember hearing that there'd be no more moving anywhere until after I had some breakfast and my meds."

Cass checks her watch. "Does it count as breakfast if it's after noon?" she asks Pepper just a little bit wryly.

"Breakfast is always the first meal you eat when you get out of bed," is Tony's suggestive reply, as he turns to start slicing bread again.

Cass snorts and Pepper feels a smile curl the corners of her lips. She looks to Cass. "How's Brandon doing - should we have Jarvis invite him to join us for more food?"

Cass sighs before slowly shaking her head. "No. He's just...I don't know if it's the meds or if he's just too emotionally off balance, but he's not hungry. Right now he's camped out on the balcony of the room you put us in, with a very content cat in his lap."

Pepper chuckles softly. "Ah, Tucker found him, then. They have always gotten along well, though this time Tucker is going to be disappointed Brandon doesn't have the usual pocket full of cat-treats."

Tony snorts, "Oh so he can bribe the suck-up with impunity then? And he doesn't get scolded for it? Sounds discriminatory."

Pepper snorts back, almost in spite of herself. "Yes well, let's just say their mutual history grants Brandon a special exemption. He's got very good reasons to want to stay on Tucker's good side."

"Mutual history?" Cass sounds half frightened, half amused.

Pepper blushes. "Tucker clawed the hell out of him a few months back." She giggles in spite of herself, "In a fairly painful place, I'm afraid. He caught us at an inappropriate moment and mistakenly thought Brandon was trying to hurt me."

"How inappropriate?" Tony asks, crossing his arms as he turns around to look at Pepper.

"If I'd wanted you to know, I would have given details without the third degree," she says lightly. Her face gives the same message. He's going to have to get over this, and he's going to have to start trusting her.

"Was there any permanent...er...damage?" Cass can't seem to stop herself from asking. Then she shake her head, "Wait don't answer that, I would have noticed if he had any scars."

"He was fine and he got tipped very well in apology. And that is the end of this conversation."

Tony holds her gaze for a few more seconds before he sighs and relaxes. "Do you want one piece of bacon with your toast or two, Amante?" He's becoming more and more free with the public use of her nickname.

It really doesn't bother Pepper, a little surprisingly.

"Four if there's enough," she says with a sheepish smile. "It's been a busy morning. I'm actually pretty hungry."

"Busy by whose standards?" Tony asks slyly as he drops most of the package of bacon into the pan.

Pepper blushes and Cass chuckles at the gentle but clear tease. "Well she made breakfast for four and finished all of her laundry in less than three hours, Nos. That's more than I accomplish on a lot weekend mornings,"

"Yeah, but Pepper's like Wonder Woman without the unitard. So far this can be considered a slow day for her."

Pepper rolls her eyes in the direction of the ceiling. "I work a normal amount for those in my profession, Tony. Now start cooking and stop being outrageous. I'm hungry."

"That's a tall order, Potts..." But Tony does turn back to the stove.

Cass shakes her head in wonder, "How in hell do you manage to get him to listen to you so quickly? Because to be honest, it's a little bit scary…"

"That's nothing." Pepper wonders if she's got the courage to say what she's thinking, and decides she'd better, because if nothing else it'll probably help stem the flow of "Tony's scary" stories. "I've also got him house trained and you should see how fast he comes when I offer to rub his belly."

At the counter Tony nearly slices through his finger. "Evil," he murmurs to no one in particular.

Cass just looks at Pepper with a wry little smile. "Duly noted, Ms. Potts." Judging by her expression, she's already started to re-evaluate Pepper and Tony's relationship. Pepper's not sure whether that's a frightening thing or not.

"Ginny?" A voice from behind them interrupts any further conversation. "I think you better show me where you keep your first aid kit, please." He holds out a slightly battered Tuck, "Mr Macho here just managed to get into a head on tangle with a rat."

"What!" Pepper and Tony exclaim together, though for entirely different reasons. Pepper rushes forward to take her pet, but Brandon gently stops her, setting Tucker down on the counter instead. "He's got some pretty deep scratches and what looks like a torn ear, but he'll be fine with a damp cloth, some gauze and antibacterial cream."

"He killed a rat?" Tony shudders and takes a step back, eyes darting around the kitchen.

"Yeah, in one of the guest rooms. I was coming out of the bathroom again and I heard something screaming."

"You're sure it was a rat?" Cass asks, moving forward to help. She's wet a towel under warm water and passes it to Brandon without further comment.

"Well that or a really big mouse. It was kind of hard to tell. The thing scurried off...or limped anyway, pretty quickly." Brandon's hands are gentle as he turns the cat to examine Tucker's belly, "Tuck did his best but the bugger was more than half his size, pretty much out of his league. You'll probably need a rat trap to catch it."

"I'm calling his vet," Pepper informs Brandon, heading toward the cupboard where she keeps Tony's post-mission first aid supplies. "No offense, Brandon, but if he got bitten, he may need antibiotics. Who knows what that thing might have been carrying…"

"No objection, Ginny. I'm just doing triage. Besides there's a bigger concern - has Tuck had his rabies vaccine yet?"

"I'm not going to 'trap' a rat." Tony finally finds his voice after a moment. "I loathe rodents. If they've gotten in my house and started chewing on my wires, I'm gonna find the little suckers and I'm going to nuke them."

Tucker, now free from Brandon's grasp, just sits on the counter, licking at one injured paw and looking at the pan of bacon hopefully.


	19. Chapter 18

"So is he still just doped up or did he finally go to sleep?"

Tony asks the question at a whisper, which is probably ridiculous. After all, he's been playing the radio at its usual full volume ever since he and Pepper got back to his car. Pepper had surprised him by opting not to put Tucker back in his carrier once they'd left the veterinarian's office. Instead she'd simply sunk into the passenger seat and buckled on her seat belt one handed, gently shifting the limp animal in her arms so he wouldn't be disturbed by the movement. She's been mostly silent as they made their way down a nearly empty highway.

"A little of both. The pain medications and antibiotics tend to hit him pretty hard." She shrugs, "He's going to be pretty out of it for the next couple of days. Well except when he wakes to eat or relieve himself, I mean."

Tony nods, "So do you want me to pull over? Let you put him in his kennel now that he's not clinging any longer?"

Pepper shakes her head. "No...He's not that heavy. I'm fine to keep holding him. He's no threat out of his carrier in the car as long as he's not squirming." She studies the sleeping kitten for several seconds before she sighs deeply. "I hope I was right about not stitching up the tear in his ear. I mean the vet did say the injury was purely cosmetic."

Tony reaches over to squeeze her arm reassuringly, "He might look a little strange with an ear part way flopped over, Pep, but you're right not to risk the anesthesia exposure if it won't even help his hearing." He smirks a little, "Besides, it's essentially a war wound. He can wear it with honor."

Pepper nods, "My thoughts exactly." She strokes the kitten's head with a single finger, "I'm just glad his rabies shot was in that last set of boosters. I wasn't sure and..." The words die off and she shudders slightly.

Tony knows enough of what could have happened in that particular situation to reach over and take her free hand in his to squeeze it. Pepper's attachment to the animal is hardly a secret. He's pretty relieved himself that Tucker's examiner had been able to rule out the need for isolation as a precursor to possible brain dissection.

Pepper shakes her head as if to will away the topic, "So what now...are we headed back to the mansion?"

Tony shrugs, "I told Cass we'd be back, eventually. No big hurry though."

Pepper raises an eyebrow and Tony shrugs his shoulders, "I'm thinking we should play hooky for a couple more hours, Amante, if you don't object. Tanner may open up to Cass given a little enforced privacy and time."

Pepper considers this for several seconds, before nodding her own head, "You're probably right." She shrugs a little, "I guess that we can go back to my place. Or maybe run down a store with rodent traps and the appropriate bait..." Tony makes a face at the suggestion, and she studies him for a moment or so, "Unless...did you want to me to call a professional exterminator instead?"

"It would be nice. It'd certainly get rid of the problem faster." Tony shrugs again. "The real question is whether the spray they'd use could cause any harm to the fur ball in your lap. I don't want him to get sick from all the chemicals when I technically owe him for cluing me in to the current infestation..."

Pepper considers this a minute. "No problem there. Tuck and I can always head back to my house to stay for a couple of nights until the poison's disseminated."

Tony shakes his head. "No offense but right now if it's choosing between that and rat traps, we should just go ahead and pick a few up. I'd really, really rather trust the mansion's better security."

Her lips quirk, "Tony, I'm sure that the people in security have the new alarm system at my place installed by now. And you told them to be 'thorough' putting it in."

Tony's still unconvinced, his fingers tense on the wheel and he shakes his head minutely, "Look, Amante, I know that our original agreement was that you only had to stay at my place for two days. And I'm really not trying to be a bully. Still..."

His jaw twitches. It's even harder for him to imagine letting her go back to her place alone now, then it had been even a couple of days ago.

"Let me guess. You'll obsess over it. And call me up every damn hour or so until neither of us get any sleep. Well that or Ironman will likely end up sleeping on my couch." Pepper finishes for him. She should be annoyed, but she's amazed at the sheer amusement contained in her voice.

Tony quirks his lips as well and raises an eyebrow. He doesn't bother to deny it. "If I did end up over there, Amante, I seriously doubt that I'd end up sleeping on your couch. And considering how things went earlier this morning, it seems a little unwise to leave me and Cass to deal with Brandon on our own. You're providing a necessary buffer, I think."

Pepper finds herself nodding, "Well I suppose staying with you for up to another week with you won't hurt under the circumstances. We should have things settled with this person Brandon knows by that point." She scratches behind Tucker's closest ear and is rewarded with a low sleepy purr, "You're right about Tuck though. Rat poison has been known to kill *people* in high enough doses. And I can't just kennel him - he's gonna need regular checks and medication."

Tony shrugs, "Then we'll just lay down baited traps for now, and see what happens. It's not an ideal situation, but it's the best fit for our particular situation."

"And if traps work?" Pepper asks him after a moment.

"I guess that I could make some spider-shaped exterminator-bots to send in the walls." Tony actually smirks a little, "Actually I like that thought. A bunch of mini rat-terminators on the prowl. That'll teach them to not mess with Stark-Net. I'll be back..."

Pepper groans, rolling her eyes at his pun.

Then she pauses, debating for several long seconds. Curiosity finally wins out. "Tony I can't help but notice that your reaction to rats is a bit extreme. Didn't you...? I mean surely you had some contact with lab animals in college..."

Tony turns and looks at her for just a moment, and a muscle in his face twitches, though his voice remains light. "Lab rats live in cages, Pep. They don't invade you house without asking your permission." He raises a quick hand to scrape the back of his hand across his forehead. "Living for three months with vermin in every dark corner was more than long enough for me."

"There were..."

"Rats in Afghanistan? Yes. Everywhere. They got into everything... the bedding, the food stuffs...not to mention they loved to chew through my spare stash of wiring." Pepper wonders if Tony is aware how tightly he's gripping the steering wheel as he continues his monologue. "I actually woke up one morning with one of the little bastards sitting right on top of me, chewing at the bandage on my chest."

This time it's Pepper's turn to reach over and squeeze his hand silently. It takes a few minutes before the man next to her relaxes again. Tony looks over at her and shrugs, "It only happened to me once. After, that Yinsen and I slept in shifts so we could always keep watch." He shoots her a wry little grin, "Have I mentioned yet that I'm seriously considering shoplifting your cat?"

Pepper snorts, "One, Tuck's too small to deal with full grown rat, if that's in fact what you have. Two, well with the size of your place Tony, you'd probably need two full grown cats at minimum to handle the problem. Three...well cats need food, and vet checks and toys and all kinds of other things. As busy as you get wouldn't it be easier for you to just mechanically tackle the problem?"

"You mean build an actual cat-bot?" Tony laughs - a sharp, amused sound. "Well it might kill the rats I guess, but without the cat-pheromones a real animal would leave behind, it wouldn't be a long term deterrent - which would really, be nice. Besides, I think it'd be really weird having something like that rubbing against my shins whenever I got back to the house."

Pepper laughs, because she can see exactly that. "Look I'm not saying that getting real cat's a bad idea. Just remember that a pet - any pet - requires a lot of positive attention."

"So what are you saying Potts – that I'd have to schedule lots of regular petting sessions?" Tony's eyes take on a now familiar twinkle. "That's not much of a deterrent, Amante, it sounds promisingly kinky."

Pepper rolls her eyes even as feels a blush start to rise. It's not helped at all by the way Tony's hand leaves her own to settle comfortably on the bare skin of her thigh. She squeaks a little as his fingers slip under the edge of her skirt and start to trace light circles just above her knee. "I...I guarantee pet ownership won't be nearly as...titillating...as you're making it out to be."

Tony grins at her words and at the tremble in the muscles he's touching. He can hear her voice grow higher as she attempts not to squirm. "Titillating. I like that word. You get to sound educated and still say 'tit' without anyone scolding..."

Pepper groans. "Are you done yet?"

Tony's smile turns hot, "I guess it depends, Amante, do you really want me to be?"

Pepper says nothing, just shifts restlessly against the seat. Tony smirks as his fingertips brush against the bottom edge of her panties. "Didn't think so." He pulls back his hand just a little, "For the record, Potts, I still owe you big time for that crack about my personal 'dexterity. Before I get serious about defending my honor though, we probably need to stop somewhere to pick up a few... supplies."

"Supplies?" Pepper looks at him a little dazedly.

He smirks and squeezes her thigh before pulling his hand back, "Yeah. I promised to help stretch out your knots once the pain killers kicked in, remember? I'll need massage oil for that. I also figure that given our faltering willpowers we should probably also grab some additional protection rather then tempt fate the rest of the week."

'Birth Control?' Pepper blinks, 'Otherwise known as the kind of supplies people need when they are going to have actual, penetrative sex.' She shivers pleasantly. "I'm pretty sure that I already have a box with three or four newish condoms and a tube of spermicide at home."

"It's a good start. Though three or four's not much to work with if you ask me." When she flushes and nods, Tony smirks a little. "How about edible massage oil? Got any of that? It'll be easier not to have to worry about wiping anything off if either of us gets...distracted when I'm done."

"I think all I have at my place is the sports style mentholated stuff..." She admits, as his hand returns to trace the freckles on her trembling knee.

"Which can hurt if it comes in contact with the wrong places. Better to avoid the risk. Proper tools for the proper job, as my Dad used to tell me."

"So Walgreens then?"

"Nah, I know the perfect place we can stop to get what we need. It's only a couple miles away."

Ten minutes later, Tony's taken a slightly run down exit, driving them into yet another unfamiliar part of the city. Pepper's taking in the scenery with equal parts curiosity and trepidation, unsure exactly what's waiting at the end of the trip. "Where are we going...?" She leans forward slightly in her seat, studying her surroundings curiously.

"To a place called 'Sensibilities' - it's a shop another mile down the street."

Pepper's eyes widen slightly as they pass a billboard bearing the same name. On it, the form of a willowy brunette is leaning back against the muscular chest her lover. Her head is tilted to one side, eyes shut in pleasure as he kisses her neck, his arms criss-crossed in front of her shadowed but obviously naked breasts. Beside the pair there's a pair of silky looking gloves and what looks like a soft tasseled flogger. The caption is simply, 'Because you never know who you're going to meet.'

"Speak of the devil." Tony murmurs, "At least this time, he went with some subtlety."

Pepper turns to look at him, eyebrow climbing her forehead. "That's subtle?" She manages, her voice only cracking a little in disbelief.

"Compared to his last couple signs? Definitely." Tony smiles a little "But then he's just gone through a major renovation. His girlfriend slash co-owner convinced him to aim for something a little less crass and a little more woman friendly...they open in another two weeks."

Her brow wrinkles at this information, "Renovation? Then the shop is currently closed? But if it's shut down then why are we...?" She as simultaneously disappointed as she is relieved.

"I said that it's closed to the public at present. That doesn't mean it's closed to you, Pep, or to me."

Pepper's face clearly displays her confusion at this explanation, and Tony smile is gentle but amused, "Look, I guess you could call me their silent business partner okay? I fronted Pat some start up cash for the business when he first bought the building, and now in exchange he makes sure I always know the current security codes so that I can shop uninterrupted when the place is closed down."

"So it'll just be us then?" She clarifies. The idea predictably relaxes her considerably.

Tony nods, "Yup - Ted and Sly don't tend to come in to do stocking on Monday evenings. We can look as long as you like and then leave the total for anything we take on the counter. No fuss now gawkers and no paparazzi."

"Perfect. The question is, can we park off the street?"

00oo00oo00oo00oo

They can and minutes later Tony keys them in through a side door. The shop is big...far bigger than Pepper had expected. It also smells new - or rather the paint and carpet do, even before she can really see them. It takes Tony about a minute to find the main lights beside the checkout counter and switch them on. Pepper waits in the dim glow until he is done.

"It's...really nice." Pepper admits after a moment, eyes taking in the artfully arranged sections of shelving and neutrally painted walls with obvious surprise. She'd half expected an over abundance or neon lights.

Tony nods, "It turned out well. Syl's got a sister who works in interior design. It looks like she had a lot of input into how the final layout went." He shrugs, "They must have either burned all Pat's cheesy old pin up posters or got him to archive them somewhere."

He gestures to a poster on the wall of woman as much covered as not. "Well except for his vintage ones of course. Look. This is one of the absolute classics of the genre, Ms Potts...probably draw by Butler Yates, circa 1959."

"You seem to know a lot about the history of erotic art media, Mr. Stark," Pepper remarks bemused, taking a basket from the stack near her feet.

The decor may be classic, but from what she can see the merchandise most assuredly is not. There's a sign on several of the walls with five distinct symbols printed on it; each with a corresponding warning or statement.

'Edible.'

'Hypo-allergenic'

'Customer recommended.'

'Beware that this product may contain latex.'

'Hand out available with tips for using this item safely.'

"Yeah well it's amazing what some universities will let you pass off as a legitimate 'history of art' project, Ms Potts." Tony's voice is rich with laughter, making her snort and roll her eyes.

"Viva Le Revolution...So...we're here to pick up extra birth Control and massage supplies right?"

"Yup." He shrugs, attempting and utterly failing to look at all innocent, "Though I don't know where either of the above are stocked at the moment... We'll just have to wander around and see whatever we see..."

"Allowing me to blush and you to leer. How very convenient," She murmurs.

"Damn Skippy," Tony says gamely, "Forward ho."

She snorts, heading toward the nearest display section. It yields Bachelor and Bachelorette gifts of all different kinds. "A cock shaped pen?" Pepper shakes her head in bewilderment, picking up a package from the narrow shelf in order to study it. "Where and when would anyone actually use this? In public I mean?"

Tony snorts, "Since when does anyone actually use favors from these kinds of gigs? They're meant for one purpose - to be bawdy and cheesy." He rounds the corner of the end cap, leading her into a world of bedroom card games, penis shaped straws, and multicolored, fuzzy stuffed dice.

"Slap, pinch, tickle, kiss, all of the above? This stuff actually sells?" Pepper hefts one of the dice in question, reading off of all but one of its faces.

"This stuff is bought and it is occasionally used. Though in my experience that generally happens only when alcohol or mind numbing boredom are involved..."

Pepper just snorts, bypassing the next aisle completely upon seeing the sign for edible underwear and other bead strung body candy. "Not a fan of eating in bed, Pep?" Tony's voice in thick with amusement as he notes her circumvention. "I kind of thought you were...with the whole 'dark chocolate wet dream' thing."

"Tony the last thing in the world you need is another excuse to eat more sugar then you already do." She gives into the urge to smirk back at him, "Though as is already established I do make occasional exceptions to the 'no food' rule for very specific forms of protein..."

"Be still my heart. How about edible body paint?"

"I'm willing to uhm...negotiate...if you show the appropriately mature attitude about not destroying my bed sheets..."

Pepper's returning banter grows notably distracted as she rounds the end cap in front of her ahead of Tony. The next section reveals several tubs of the art supply previously in question, along with several temporary tattoos, body piercing studs and the like. What she's looking at, though, is something else entirely. There's a broad assortment of grasping nipple clips and chains of various sizes. She stands there silent a long moment, nearly jumping out of her skin in surprise when Tony's arms carefully encircle her waist.

"So..." He murmurs into her hair. "Something in particular capture your interest, Amante?"

Her hand reaches out to tentatively tap a pair of pincher style nipple clamps. "They're kind of pretty..." She acknowledges quietly.

"Then grab a pair." He encourages her softly.

She shakes her head, "A partner and I tried something like them once. Years ago. And yeah they felt interesting when they first went on. But when they came off..." She shudders a little, and this time he can tell it's with remembered pain.

"Major ouch?"

"Yeah. Not to mention that I ended up with bruising for over a week."

The man behind her winces in sympathy, "Definitely ouch. Had either you or your partner ever used that kind of jewelry before? Because that type of thing usually happens when you fasten the clamp on too tight or don't warm up the nipples properly."

'Warm up?' "I hadn't tried anything of that nature before." She answers honestly. "Though he said that he had and knew what he was doing. And Tony at the time, they definitely didn't feel too tight."

"How long were they on?"

She shrugs, "Twenty five to thirty minutes, I think. He put them on me when things started and then helped me them off again when he was finished."

Tony's jaw twitches a little before he reaches over and gently wiggles something free from the row of metal merchandise hooks on the left. "These kind of clamps are better for a beginner...they don't bite down or abrade the skin beneath them, and you can adjust the level of pressure more gradually."

Pepper takes the clips he's holding in front of her, studies them carefully as she worries her lower lip. Than she shakes her head. "It's probably not worth the money to try anything like this again. I mean I kind of assume from my reaction that the idea of spanking and other stuff is..." She shrugs helplessly, "Well the turn on has got to be more about my mental response to the idea than it is about what I actually do or don't like in physically..."

"You think so? I have to admit I have my doubts." She gasps in surprise when Tony shifts his hands from around her waist and cups both of her breasts through her shirt fabric firmly. "How about we test out that theory."

"Tony..." She squirms, looking a little anxiously around them. They may be alone but this is technically still a public place, and it may be monitored. She has no desire to end up on some security guard's morning tape.

"It's alright Amante. I already checked. The only cameras turned on in this place right now are the ones on the outside of the building. The only ones seeing this are you and me."

Tony voice is low but soothing as he unbuttons her shirt and parts the sides, finding and closing around each of her nipples through the silk of her bra and squeezing down with just enough force to make them start throbbing. Pepper shifts under the pressure, stunned by the warmth building in her breasts and between her legs, as well as in her face. Tony rumbles low in his chest as she shifts a little. "So? Is that actually bad, Pep? Or is it mostly just a shock at the beginning?"

"It...No it doesn't hurt. I wouldn't call it bad." She looks down at his hands and fights to steady her breathing. "It stings a little, but mostly it's just making me kind of...well...squirmy."

She feels him smile softly against the skin of her neck. "Then you'll like the nipple clamps just fine, Amante."

Tony releases the pressure on her nipples slowly after several more seconds. She shivers as feeling starts to rush back into the oxygen deprived tissue. The sensation leaves her breathless and hungry...like her body's waiting for whatever comes next. It's odd, but it's certainly not unpleasant, and as he starts to refasten her shirt she unconsciously rocks herself back against his groin.

His thumbs caress the stiffened peaks for a moment after he covers her back up, then his arms drop to circle her middle again and he squeezes her almost apologetically before stepping back a few steps. "Sorry if I wound you up prematurely. I was...err. I was just trying to make a point."

He clears his throat, "As a general rule, Pep, nipple clips should never be left on for more than ten to fifteen minutes for a beginner. There's nothing wrong with your instincts concerning what you do or don't like."

She nods a little shakily, and drops the clips he gave her in the basket without further protest. It takes her a moment to find her voice again. "Next aisle's got oil and lube by the look of it..." She murmurs a little bit breathlessly. "We're looking for both of them, right?"

Tony nods. "The aisle after this one should also have condoms. Get several boxes of whatever brand and style you prefer." At this rate, he suspects that they're going to need an industrial sized package of Trojans just to get them through to the end of the night.

It takes them over an hour to work the rest of the way through the store: mostly because one or both of them keeps getting distracted as they shop. Tony lingers over the remote control vibrators and Pepper pays him back with her sudden interest in a vibrating cock ring. Several more items end up dumped in Pepper's basket without a word passing between them. Eventually Tony tugs her gently toward the bondage and restraint section.

"So...You got any phobias about the idea of tying me up, Potts?" He waggles his eyebrows as he asks.

She chews her lower lip a moment, before ultimately shaking her head. "That's fine. But get something in silk all right? Just in case. I'm a bit hyper allergenic and if I get interested in switching places later, I don't want to end up trussed up by something that's itchy."

The way his nostrils flare at the request makes her glad she pushed herself to actually vocalize the thought.

They reach the last aisle together - and find it filled with floggers, tawses and paddles. The sheer amount of variety manages to leave Pepper a little tongue tied again. "Did you want to...?" She looks over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

His smile is both tender and a little bit bemused. "Hell yes, but we have plenty of other things to experiment with for now if you don't feel ready for this one. Besides, most newcomers react best to skin against skin."

"And if we were here shopping for you in particular?" She raises an inquisitive eyebrow.

He groans a little. "I'm definitely open to being on either side of the swat, Pepper. And I prefer the tawse, if that's what you're asking."

She grins back, "The idea has certain merit. Though the real question is, is this one of your big kinks as well, Tony, or is it just an occasional fascination?"

Tony shrugs a little. "Spanking definitely adds a pleasant element of spice to things for me." His hand ghosts over her ass gently, "Given the choice though, I tend to enjoy the experience more from the top than the bottom. It's just the way I'm wired I guess."

"Any reason in particular?" She asks out of curiosity.

He shrugs, "Receiving a spanking is mostly passive in my experience. I'm afraid that my mind has a tendency to wander."

She snorts, "So what you're really saying then is not that you don't like the sensation of being spanked, but that no one's figured out yet how to compensate for your hypoactive attention span..."

Tony nods, "Touché but true. You can consider finding a way around that a personal calling if you'd really like to. In the meantime, though..." He squeezes her right asscheek for a moment, before gently coasting his finger tips over her left, delighting in the resulting full body shiver. "I suspect that you in particular are going to love being on the receiving end of things, pretty much from the first time that I manage to coax you across my lap."

She raises an eyebrow, "Oh really? You seem pretty confident of that."

"Considering your reaction to me doing just this..." He coasts his hand over her ass again, and is rewarded by another twitch "Damn right I am." He leans forward and his mouth enfolds the edge of her ear lobe as he pulls her in to press pelvis to pelvis against him. "You're sensitive as hell, Pep. And spanking is all about contrast. Not to mention that you're one of the most in-the-closet-sensualists I think I've ever met."

"Probably." She acknowledges, locking her arms around his neck. "Though I've learned not to focus on or flaunt it. Which is why I about had a heart attack that first night when you showed up at the fireman's benefit. That dress was just..." She shrugs..."A guilty pleasure."

"Skiiiiiiiiiin." Tony intones in agreement before his kisses shift to her neck. "Acres and acres of it. All white and freckled like it was put there just for me."

She snorts, "It certainly wasn't yours to covet at the time, Tony. Not that you ever let that particular fact stop you."

"Is mine to covet now, though." He kisses her softly, "Cat's out of the bag now Pep, and not likely going back in. Before I'm done with you tonight you're going to come - several times - like a freight train." He winks, "And one of these days you'll get curious enough about all the teasing that this delicious ass of yours will probably end up over my knee, as well. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy the priviledge of tormenting you."

She whimpers a little, looks down at their now heaping shopping basket. "Tony, we have all the stuff that we came here to buy...so what are we still doing here, vs. going somewhere with a bed or at least a couch?"

"Right now? We're here because we haven't paid the bill yet. I'm going to correct that while you're pulling the car around."

He reaches into his back pocket and tosses her the keys. She nods and hands over the basket, "My place still okay?" It's not really a question. Even if Cass and Brandon weren't at the mansion, the Townhouse is closer.

"If you really think that we can make it that far as opposed to getting a hotel room a couple miles down the street."

She shakes her head, "Good idea in theory. But Tuck needs food and he needs out of his carrier within an hour. Unless you want to risk the smell of cat piss in the back of the Audi..."

"Your place then definitely. Get the car, Amante, and I'll meet you out front."

"Just don't dawdle, Tony."

"Don't worry Potts. I promise I have far better places to be."

00oo00oo00oo


	20. Chapter 19

The trip back to the townhouse takes about thirty five minutes, and ends up being equal parts pleasant torment and potentially dangerous distraction. Pepper quickly realizes she's going to have her hands full just staying focused on driving thanks to the man smirking at her in the passenger's seat. Tuck briefly wakes and provides a welcome respite from the simmering sexual tension, but Tony quickly pacifies him by offering the animal a couple of chewy kitty treats.

Then he returns his attention to studying her with an expression that Pepper can only describe as 'plotting.'

Her lips quirk up a little, though the intensity of his gaze makes her squirm in her seat. She hasn't missed the fact that more than one subtle change has occurred in their interactions since their early morning waking. Whereas before Tony had kept his sexual appreciation of her carefully restrained, now with her permission to initiate as well as respond to her advances, he seems more than willing to wind her up anytime they're alone.

'Which feels…well, normal I guess.'

It's surprising how much that sensation is now wanted.

Still, there are certain disadvantages. Such as the distraction factor. "You do realize that it's kind of hard to focus on the road with you sitting there looking like you're starved and I'm something to eat," she informs him dryly.

His eyes twinkle and he deliberately moistens his lips. "I'd be lying, Pep, if I say that the idea hasn't occurred to me…."

Pepper blushes, and the car swerves ever so slightly to the left. "Yeah well, can you at least tone down the whole seductive vibe until we get out of the worst of the traffic?" She shifts again, shooting him what she hopes is a stern look as she does so, "Because it's not like distracting me will get us home any more quickly..."

"It would definitely be counterproductive if you go crashing into one of the medians," Tony acknowledges was a small smile, then he leans forward and fiddles with the radio tuner until he finds a neutral station for them to listen to. When he does speak again, he tries for a less provocative topic. "Looks like it's a pretty nice day outside. Makes me want to find a beach and go surfing."

'Makes me want to come along just to see you in your little black speedo.' Pepper snorts at her own one track mind and tries to frame a reply that can't be tied back to sex in any way. "Yeah? Well I'm guessing that you'll have a chance… it's supposed to stay warm and sunny all week."

Tony nods, "Definitely remind me to free up one afternoon so that we can hit the water and then do some serious sunbathing."

"Let me guess….with lots of sun tan lotion…?" She asks him, lips curving up knowingly.

He smirks. "Well we can't have you burn to a crisp can we? Though I must admit that I like what the sun does for your freckles. The UV exposure totally changes the layout - it's fascinating. Of course it may take some time for me to rememorize the tapestry."

Tony tries – Pepper has to give him that much credit. But he's never been particularly good at hiding the fact that he's basically a walking advertisement for testosterone. 'At least he didn't make any cracks about getting me into a bikini.'

"It's not fair that you don't burn the way I do," she tells him bluntly.

"Blame my parents, Potts. I didn't exactly choose the Mediterranean genes.…"

'No, but you _do_ choose to sunbathe mostly in the nude…'

Pepper groans a little, and forces herself to drag her eyes away from the lingering half-bulge in the front his jeans in favor of shifting over two lanes in preparation for their exit. 'Eyes on the road, Potts. Not on the scenery.'

Tony doesn't help much – instead he starts digging through the bag of novelty items in his lap, some which he'd only taken partial note of while they were shopping. "Good – milk and dark chocolate both...I like a little variety. Wow...warming _condoms_?" He gestures with the box before turning it over to read the back.

Pepper shrugs. "They're a new product according to the sign that was attached to the shelf. I know that I like the warming lube, so I figured, 'Why not?' Cut down on a step."

Tony smirks a little, "Now that's the kind of attitude I live for. So you like the warming/tingly stuff, hmmm, Potts? That's certainly promising. Have you had a chance to try the cooling stuff as well?"

Pepper squirms again. "No. I haven't. And you call me evil…" she groans, taking a left at the stoplight, "Look, we're almost home. Just behave for another five minutes, all right?"

His warm hand settles on her leg, and squeezes. "If I agree to 'be good' here then does that mean that I have permission to stop behaving when we get back to your place?"

She snorts as his hand wanders up to stroke the skin above her knee.

Her townhouse is two more blocks down on the left. Pepper manages to ignore the patterns his fingertips are tracing up her bare thigh just long enough to pull into the driveway and punch the remote for the garage door. As his fingertips reach the edge of her thong, her hand shifts to cup the bulge in his pants in pure instinctive – and somewhat defensive – warning.

"Patience. My neighbor to the right is sixty-seven and a terrible gossip, Tony."

Tony shudders as he nods, hips arching instinctively into her touch. "Sorry…but God…" Instead of clarifying any further he leans over to kiss her fiercely.

Pepper lets their lips clash for a moment before her tongue snakes out to trace the line of his lip… "I know. Same problem on my end," she murmurs. "Once we get behind closed doors…open season, all right?"

Tony nods and she removes the hand cupping his erection to unbuckle her seat belt.

Moments later they're entering her dimly lit kitchen together, closing the garage door behind them. Pepper slips out of her shoes and sets Tuck down gently, stroking one hand down his back. Even though she's essentially given Tony permission to pounce, she still squeaks a little when he spins her around to pin her gently against her closed pantry door.

"Mmmmm." His lips fasten on her neck, and his hand starts hurriedly working on zippers and buttons. "You're wearing way, way too much clothing…"

"So are you." Pepper reaches out to help unfasten first his belt, then the front clasp of his jeans.

She manages to tug him free of his boxers and to get his t-shirt up and over his head, only to groan and lose track of what she's doing as his hand cups her firmly through her silk panties. "Ohhhhhhhyeah." The press of his body keeps her upright as his thumb finds her clit through the dampening fabric and starts up a slow, pulsing counterbeat.

"Ohhhhhhhgod yeah. Justlikethat. Squirm for me." Tony chuckles as she writhes, lips moving to suckle her earlobe gently. "You have no clue at all how close I came to bending you over the nearest flat surface back in that shop, Love. I could smell you in the car even before we got there and…" He growls low and approving into her ear.

Pepper groans. "Yeah, well, talk about fueling my overactive imagination…

Way to super-charge both of our libidos."

He snorts and pulls back his hand. "It was fun as hell for both of us. Not to mention useful for information gathering purposes." He taps her nose, "You are _definitely_ a Switch, Little Miss 'get the silk rope please' and then spend fifteen minutes perusing all the different cock rings."

Pepper groans at that and he chuckles softly, scooping her off of her feet before kissing her again, "Mind you I'm pretty much the same, so I'm in no way complaining..."

Pepper squeaks as he carts her over to the nearby kitchen table. "What are you…oh God...." He pushes her shirt off her shoulders before popping the front clasp on her bra, bending to use his teeth to gently worry her right nipple.

He smiles against her breast… "Don't worry, Pep. Just having a quick snack. I don't know about you, but right now I'm starving."

Pepper's eyes widen as he gently pushes her backward, placing a hand on each of her hips and tugging her to the edge of the table…

"I…." Exactly why is she supposed to be protesting again?

"I promised you a massage once your drugs kicked in, remember?" He settles down onto one of the chairs directly in front of her. "I thought it only right to start by warming you up, properly, first…"

"But…" Her breasts quiver as he scrapes their surface carefully with his beard, nibbling each globe.

"But????" He raises an eyebrow at the half finished statement.

She reaches up and brushes one hand against his erection, raising an eyebrow. "You're as wound up as I am, Tony…we can make this a joint project."

Tony groans, licking his lips at the sight of her. "True I suppose, but I had my turn at some relief earlier this morning. And twice is usually my limit in an eight hour period until I get some serious sleep. I'm good to go until I've made good on my raincheck, unless you're complaining…"

Pepper chews her lip for a moment, considering. 'Let him take the edge off now, and you'll be less impatient while paying him back…' "Okay." She concedes, and Tony growls in approval, as his hands work free her silk thong and skirt.

"I hoped you'd be convincible. Which reminds me, Potts." One hand strokes over her pubic hair lightly, making her hips arch and her head drop down against the table. "We really should have a chat about the merits of quick accessibility…"

"Hmmm?" Pepper blinks as he brushes his thumb up the length of her opening, before finding her clit and stroking just once, over the top of it lightly.

A low rumble follows, "Simply stated, Amante, I want to know is what it's gonna cost to convince you to go bare for me…"

His forefinger joins his thumb in a maddening, slow circling motion. Pepper tries to writhe away, but Tony just pins her down with his hand on her hip, increasing the pressure steadily until her eyes cross.

"Well?" he asks, with laughter clear in his voice, finally pulling back.

"You're asking me to shave?" She tries to focus her thoughts, only half successfully.

Tony's nostrils flare. "I was actually referring to your going sans-panties for the next few weeks, Potts. Though..." He groans, "If you're willing, the second option would also totally do it for me...." He pulls back his hand and leans down to blow a warm gust of breath against her center. "I'd probably even offer to bare you myself if you agreed, and use a bunch of warm towels, and lots of cool, creamy shaving cream."

Pepper whimpers, "It would cost you big time. I've had to go bare before. It's okay at first, but then gets really distracting…."

He grins, "Let me guess? It's itchy when it's growing back?"

Pepper nods. "The second or third day out in particular usually drives me absolutely nuts. Not to mention I end up sensitive as hell down there, just generally."

What she means of course is shaving leaves her in constant state of half-arousal. So much so that on more than one occasion afterward, she's considered forgoing her panties, whether it's a work day or not.

Tony seems to interpret this unspoken implication correctly, because he smirks. "Don't worry, Potts, I'd be more than happy to do my part to help relieve any troubling side effects…"

Pepper snorts. Then she shudders and her eyes drift shut. "RealbigofyouStark."

His hands shift back to pull her thighs wider open as his head dips down. "Yup. Just consider me that gift that keeps right on giving." They both groan in pleasure as he swipes the flat of his tongue down her length, then pushes two fingers into the quivering wetness that's waiting. She moans, hips rocking up at the heady penetration.

"God…" Tony murmurs, thrusting gently. "Four more days till a week. I can't wait to actually get inside you."

He has every intention of locking them both away for that weekend.

Things get a little hazy for Pepper after that, as Tony drives her up the path toward her first orgasm insistently, his tongue and hands more than defending his insulted dexterity.

"I'm gonna…" She shakes as the first set of tremors hit, fists clenching and back arching. Tony rides the crest down with her, thumb resting over the top of her clit gently. Just as she thinks it's over his head dips again.

"One more, Amante," he murmurs. "I know you have at least one more for me in you."

"There," he murmurs a short time later when her body can take no more. He pulls free his hand and tugs her down and into his lap, arms enfolding her shaking form until she quiets. "Now that, Amante," he murmurs into her ear. "Is what I call relaxed."

Her head just lolls to one side in reply and he chuckles, obviously pleased.

His hand strokes gently through her hair as she regains her wits, until she pulls back and he impulsively leans forward to kiss her forehead. "So are you up for another round, Pep? Or is it time to go pour you into bed for awhile? Let you get some sleep?"

Pepper snorts. "And I thought I was insatiable. Bed. Some liquid first would be heavenly. Though…" She reaches down to cup him, changing her tone to something a little more commanding as she does so. "Once we hit the mattress, it's definitely my turn up at bat before either of us nap. You, Mr Stark, have definitely earned a long, stern, talking to."

"Just talking?" He raises an eyebrow, lips quirking to hold back delighted laughter.

Her eyes twinkle, "Oh you'll get a firm taking in hand too, once I find the bag with the cock rings."

Tony shudders. "Pepper, that kind talk won't get us anywhere out of this room."

She reaches down, enfolds her hand around his shaft. Leans forward to whisper in his ear.

"Liquid for both of us, now Stark. I guarantee you'll need it before I'm through with you."

00oo00oo00oo

Three hours later, Tony makes his way out of the master bedroom, his body pleasantly limp, but his belly gnawingly empty. Behind him, Pepper remains in the bed, deeply and bonelessly asleep. Tuck - apparently happy for the company - appears once Tony reaches the kitchen, meowing and weaving frantic circles around his feet. "What's up, Bud?" He bends down to scratch between twitching ears, "So are you hungry too? Or just feeling lonely?"

Tuck walks over and flops down, meaningfully, next to his empty food dish.

Tony rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah I get it…I'm nothing but a comfortable lap and opposable thumbs to you." He quickly fills the water dish, than riffles around in the cupboard until he finds a small can of tuna in water, which he cracks open and drains into the sink.

"You look like you're feeling good enough for this, and I owe you. So this one's on me. Just don't get used to it, okay? Or your owner will kill me." The offering is met with ecstatic purring.

A little rummaging through the refrigerator reveals an apple and sufficient supplies for two salami sandwiches for the hungry non-cat. The lazy boy near the front window beckons him with a sunny view and he drops down onto it with a contented groan, gazing out the front window. A tall glass of milk is cool against his tongue and he drains the liquid quickly before reducing the first sandwich to nothing in just a handful of bites. By the time he reaches the second sandwich, he's finally starting to feel full.

When he's finally through eating he sets the plate down and leans back against the soft cushions, happy to just relax and replay the past few hours in his memory…

He smirks. 'If this is Pepper still finding her bearings, I need to up the zinc in my diet immediately.'

For someone who claims to be inexperienced at most things carnal, the rate at which Pepper assimilates to new environments is downright terrifying. Once they'd reached the bedroom, she'd wasted no time at all in efficiently reducing him to a pile of desperate, whimpering male jelly.

Hell, just thinking about it is making him half hard again.

Not that he means to go wake her just yet. Over all, he's more than sated. 'Need time to recoup and let the protein kick in.'

Pepper can use about a month of these kind of uninterrupted afternoon naps, in his - albeit biased – opinion. 'Though at least now she's eating more and her self confidence and sense of humor are finally returning.'

Not that there aren't other 'issues' to still be addressed.

'Like her insomnia.' He needs to find a noncombative way to get her to open up about her nightmares. He also intends to see if he can't convince her to get a referral from her primary care physician to a GI specialist. 'Just to make sure there's nothing more serious going on than a reoccurring ulcer caused by exhaustion and stress.'

And in the meantime, it's time for him to find a book and head back into the bedroom. Raging hormones aside, all he intends for now is to read beside her while Pepper naps. Hopefully his presence will be enough to keep away any nightmares.

The first bookcase he stops at yields nothing particularly interesting.

'Accounting. Art History. Understanding Inter-Office Dynamics.' There's also a decent collection of classic poetry and modern fiction… He about to grab the newest book by he and Pepper's mutual favorite science fiction author when a long row of what looks like photo albums beckon him to the very bottom shelf.

'1965?' Pepper hadn't even been born in that year. 'She must keep out her entire family's photography collection…'

He pauses, rubbing his goatee for several seconds, before reaching for the first album.

'She did tell you to help yourself to anything on the book shelves, Stark,' he rebukes his twinging conscience. 'And doing this is probably going to be less painful for her than asking for more detail about the rest of her family.'

He flips through the first album glancing curiously at the early photographs of her parents, before skipping ahead to the album for year Pepper had been born. Three pages in he finds himself gazing down at a familiar looking freckle faced infant. Pepper –clearly less than six months old, is grinning up at the camera from the lap of another redhead maybe twelve or so years old.

'Katie…?' No Carrie. Pepper had said her sister's name was Caroline, if he remembers correctly.

'Carrie and Ginny – Peru 1977.' The siblings really had been twins in hair, facial features and coloring. He keeps flipping through albums, 'Though it looks as if Carrie ended up being more muscular – or perhaps just a little bit shorter.'

The sisters are shown swimming, playing, reading. Always laughing.

Caroline eventually disappears for several albums – probably to attend college, Only to return with short chopped hair and a small, dark-haired baby cradled in her arms. 'Derek.' His brain quickly attaches the title to the infant. 'The nephew Pepper's been taking care of since Caroline's death. Where's his father, though?' He never finds an answer, though there are plenty of other names and dates to take in.

Weddings follow funerals follow vacations. He blinks in shock when at around ten years old, Pepper suddenly sprouts a pair of wire rim glasses.

'She certainly doesn't wear any now…did she have Lasik or something?'

Once again there's no answer, though the glasses remain. The pictures continue, all neatly labeled in the same scrawling handwriting until the fall of 1993, where Tony finds two clipped newspaper obituaries, stapled to the page beside a picture of a simple grave marker. 'Janet and Marcus Potts. Lovers. Loved. Taken long before their time.'

There are fewer pictures after that – though they at least don't stop altogether. Tony guesses that Pepper must have been the main photographer after her parents' funeral. Short of an occasional class photo or captured snap-shot of her playing with her nephew, she seldom appears in front of the camera after that point.

The last of the large photo albums opens with newspaper clippings detailing a hit-and-run accident. Derek had apparently been struck by a local drunk driver who lost his life a half mile down the road where he collided with a fence. There'd been no one to bring to trial, and no liable settlement.

Tony watches as the boy comes home from the hospital to his mother and aunt, new scars evident on both his face and his mind. He watches as Carrie thins in stages over the next year and a half.

Another obituary. Carrie. 1996.

He closes the album. 'God.' Maybe he'd been luckier than he thought in the way he'd lost his parents in the accident. Yes it had been tragic, but at least it had been quick.

There's only two much smaller albums left, now. He's almost tempted to skip them. But somehow he can't escape the feeling that that would be cowardice. He'd wanted to see, now it was time to see it through.

'Derek – group home, San Francisco, 1997-present.' The first album is full of simple candid photos - each with a short description scrawled beside it. Nothing important so much as tidbits from Derek's day to life sent by the nurses to an aunt they know loves her nephew and misses him.

The second binder is even less specific. It reads only. 'Peter '96-98.'

"Peter?" His forehead wrinkles as he cracks it open, flipping through the pages cautiously, to find pictures of Pepper and a twenty-something young man who in one shot is wearing a fireman's uniform.

'A college study-buddy maybe? Or an old family friend?' He finds several candid shots of Pepper and Peter hanging out with her sister, and Derek. They're both wearing the same gray college sweatshirts in one snap-shot, while in another they're studying large textbooks side by side on a bed in a dorm room. 'Most likely old boyfriend,' Tony decides, noting the next two pictures almost analytically. 'Though it obviously didn't work out.'

The next page shows the pair dancing together at what looks like a formal campus ball, the second shows Pepper laughing atop his shoulder as she's hauled up into what looks like the traditional fireman's carry.

Tony's almost relieved by the pleasure he sees in Pepper's expression.

'At least it wasn't all bad at that point in her life. She had someone to help her deal with the grief.' The thought makes him feel slightly better until he turns the page again.

The final page holds only one photo, in which a grinning Peter Harmon is sitting on a park bench, hefting a pleased but embarrassed looking Pepper's hand toward the camera.

Only a blind man would miss her newly sparkling engagement ring.


	21. Chapter 20

Cass Tidwell wakes to a gentle hand shaking her shoulder.

She blinks several times, not sure at first where she is. The light makes her guess it's her apartment's back porch for several seconds, until she catches the strong smell of ocean salt and seaweed. 'Not home then...' Her nose twitches as she cracks an eyelid. 'Oh yeah, Stark's ocean side balcony.'

A hand drops into her view, cupping a frosty glass of what looks like lemonade.

"You fell asleep," Brandon says unnecessarily. "I would have let you be...but you loathe sunburns, and you're starting to turn kind of pink."

She nods, and hoists herself upright to take the glass and take a sip. "Thanks. I didn't mean to crash again. Came out here to read," she finally speaks.

"I figured..." He gestures to the book lying beside the chair. "No harm in a nap though. I know life's been insane the last couple of weeks between picking me up as a boarder and losing a bartender the way you did..." He shrugs then, and turns to head back into the house without any further discussion.

"Hey Tanner, wait..." He pauses at her words, though he doesn't turn to actually face her. His posture is less pained than before, but still defensive. The fact make her stomach cramp. "It's nice out here. Come and sit with me awhile?"

Brandon's expression is carefully neutral when he turns and replies, "Thanks, but right now I'm kind of in the middle of something inside. Besides, I found out earlier that these particular lounge chairs aren't great support for my ribs." He pauses. "You should stay outside awhile longer, though. It's a beautiful view."

'Translation: I still don't want to be anywhere near you. Even if I'm too civilized to deliberately let you dehydrate or sunburn.' It's classic Brandon...gentleman mixed with bastard and shaken twice just for the sake of posterity.

"I'll come in with you then." She scoops up the book, and rises from her chair, ignoring his little sigh of acknowledgement as he pulls open the glass doors. "I noted Pepper lent you her laptop before she left. What is it you've been up to the last few hours anyway?"

He has certainly made a show of being busy.

She follows Brandon through the house and back to the living room before she gets any sort of reply. He eases down on the couch and settles the computer back atop his lap, shifting carefully to find a comfortable position. She spots a pillow on the nearby and table and reaches over to pick it up. "Here. Scoot forward a little. You know we should really tape up your ribs."

Brandon's lips curl up at the corners for a moment in what might be amusement. He doesn't move. "I'm fine, Cassandra. And I'd love a pillow, thank you for asking." He's still pissed off then. Unless he's mad he's always called her Cass or Cassie.

She sinks into the chair herself and rests the pillow atop her lap. "So I get that you're still mad about earlier, but how long are we going to be carrying on this verbal fencing exactly?"

This time he does snort in exasperation, before meeting her gaze. "I've been trying to finish the bibliographic annotations for my term paper, all right? Homework. That's what I've been doing."

"Term..." She blinks... "Term paper? As in a paper for college?"

He nods a little. "This one is due next Tuesday. Along with my final lab project for organic chemistry."

Brandon is back in school? But that shouldn't be possible. This is the man his roommate claims lives off tuna and macaroni and cheese. "How can you afford to be going to..." The words die off as comprehension dawns. Her eyes narrow a little. "You hard headed little bastard. Why didn't you say something?"

He quirks an eyebrow. "About school? I don't remember you ever bothering to ask why I needed the extra income."

And she hadn't, damn him to hell. Though it should have been the first thing she asked. Instead she'd tried to avoid the topic of Brandon's second job as much as possible whenever he was around – because it always led to arguing, and she hadn't wanted to waste time. The last few month's she'd been lucky to see him one Monday of every other week.

'Well at least now you know he hasn't been repeatedly blowing off you and all the others just out of spite. With work and school together he must be going insane trying to get everything done.' Brandon was extremely bright yes, but though he'd never been tested for dyslexia in school she knew he'd always had a little trouble with his symbol processing speed.

"You started moonlighting so you can afford to go back to school?!" She says it just to confirm it - he doesn't need to nod his head. "Brandon, if you needed cash for *that,* why in hell didn't you just say something? You own a thirty percent stake in Ties That Bind?! I could have found a way to liquidate some of that money!"

Her voice is rising with every syllable, but Brandon is back to looking at the computer screen. His words when he replies are calm and just the faintest bit chiding.

"And how exactly would you have managed that Cass? By taking out a second mortgage on the club less than six months after paying off the first one?" He snorts, "I'm not an idiot, you know. I know the way your profit margins are being effected thanks to the slump in the economy. You couldn't have afforded to do something like that, keep the bar in stock and still buy toilet paper and groceries..." The pillow in her hands abruptly impacts with his head. "Owww! Careful Cassie!"

"Careful!? I'm gonna show you 'careful!' You…!" Cass grabs another pillow and chucks it at Brandon's head again. "I'm going to 'careful' up one side of your ass and down the other, you stubborn son of a bitch!"

Brandon's voice is dry. "It's not our regular weekend for that kind of role play, Cass. You know I'm right. Now watch your tone about my mother."

Cass actually growls before coming over and ripping the computer out of his hands. "You're telling me you've been risking your life over TUITION?" This is the first time that she's seriously considered the merits of strangling anyone. "Honestly Brandon, what in hell were you thinking?! Yes education matters, but this is imbecilic!"

Brandon sighs and reaches up to rub his hand over his forehead. "Look it's more complicated than you grasp...you still don't know everything. I'm getting carpal tunnel - bad enough that the doctor at the free clinic says that I'm either going to have to give up giving massages soon or permanently fuck up my wrists. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of fond of being able to do things like eat and pay my rent…"

Cassie gapes at this new information, and Brandon shrugs a little, "I needed a fall back position, all right? This was just the best I could come up with under the circumstances, with the least amount of risk."

"Least amount?!" she hisses. 'Carpal tunnel?' He'd never said a word. "And by the way, thanks so much, for that pertinent warning about a significant change in your medical situation." God how had she not noticed lately how much shakier he got when she left him on his hands and knees for more than a couple of minutes…

Brandon just raspberries her, before carrying on in that same infuriating ultra-reasonable tone. "Oh give me a break. I know my own limits, Cass. I have a safe word that I could have used, and I know how to minimize the stress on my hands by the position I choose."

She growls, "Lovely. Except the person who's supposed to be worried about that in play is me. Dammit, right now I just want to smack you, Brandy!"

"For what exactly? Hauling myself up by sheer force of will using my own fucking bootstraps?" He snorts, "It was my decision. And considering that I managed to work 30 hours a week and still make good enough grades to get grants and scholarships to cover all my books and tuition for the rest of the year, I happen to think that things worked out pretty damn well."

"Pretty well?!" Now she really is yelling. She draws a deep breath and forces herself to exhale slowly. "Someone tried to beat the crap out of you several days ago, Brandy!"

He snorts a little. "That is beside the point. It was non-work related." His eyes narrow, "Are you really claiming that my taking a job where I get to hand pick my personal clients is somehow less safe than the private bachelor parties you sometimes worked to help you pay for college? Because at that point we'd need a shovel to remove the hypocrisy."

"Oh, as if that's what I'm mad about. I can't believe I was actually..." Cass groans in frustration and runs her hands through her hair. "You know what, never mind," she abruptly disengages.

Brandon snorts at her withdrawal. "As yes. Withdraw when it becomes too much trouble to fight. Same old song and dance, as always."

Her head snaps up. "You're an adult, Brandon, what else do you expect me to say?"

"Nothing," is his reply. Now he simply looks tired. "My life isn't your business outside of the preset boundaries any more than yours is mine, right?" He shakes his head, "Just retreat back to your mark – we're both good at that, Cassie."

The statement burns. Because she chose to paint herself into this corner. "Oh, if you only knew," she murmurs under her breath.

"Knew what?" Brandon challenges, moving just a few millimeters forward, spine erect.

She scoffs. "As if I'd tell you now. If you can keep secrets, so can I." Cass hates the way she comes off sounding like a spoiled brat. She's come right down to his level. "This is just one of those times we'll have to respect each other's personal space and leave the issue sit."

He snorts again. "Oh yes, because that strategy's clearly worked so well for both of us until now."

His voice is sarcastic as he reaches up and rubs the space between his eyes. "You know what, Tidwell? I think I'm done here. Beluga, all right?"

She blinks at his use of his safe word. "I wasn't aware we were 'playing.'"

"Play is all we ever do anymore. Only the venue has changed. Two steps forward, three steps back," He chuckles a little, though there's no pleasure in the sound. "And the worst part of it is, we're not even doing it well. Trust's been shot up to the point neither of us is really benefiting from the experience the way we once did."

"And whose fault is that?" she growls. "I'm not the one who deliberately violated more than half the safety clauses of our previous agreement."

"No you're just the one who won't cry quits when you want to because you're too chicken shit."

Cassie blinks at that. He just shakes his head, pointing an accusing finger. "Give me a break…You're never been comfortable emotionally with my second job, and we both fucking know that. I've been waiting for months for you to get up the courage to boot my ass to the curb." He drops his hand, "The fact that you haven't, just proves I've become your lingering bad habit."

Her jaw drops, in absolute astonishment. "You did not just..." She runs out of words again, but not for long. "I'm in love with you, you stupid, stubborn, nearsighted ass. And if you don't stop projecting all your own emotional crap onto me, I'm going to take Nox up on his offer to borrow a set of handcuffs..." She leans forward, words emphatic. "Yes, I am pissed at you. Yes, I hate your job. I hate sharing you in general just for the record. That doesn't mean that I want you to go or that I love you any less."

Brandon's eyes widen for just the space of a heartbeat in what she clearly recognizes as panic. "You…? No," he mumbles, scooting backwards just a little, shaking his head. "No you can't…"

"Believe me, Tanner, I'm not thrilled with the fact at the moment myself," she shoots back dryly.

"You can't..." He repeats the words again. "That was the whole point of our agreement. I have to think of Lily now…not to mention Belle would likely try and kill you..."

He's so agitated by her impromptu admission that he's practically vibrating with distress.

Cass crosses her arms over her chest and pretends like this was exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for. Because every woman dreams of having the man she loves panic when she declares herself. "One: I don't die that easy. And even if I did no one is getting into this place without a tank. Two: our deal right now is worth crap. Now who exactly are Bella and Lily?"

Other than one more secret they've been keeping from each other obviously.

Brandon's eyes widen even further when he realizes what it is that he's just said. It's almost a comical moment until his muscles tense in preparation to bolt. She growls, then and shifts closer, ready to block the possibility of physical retreat. "I get that you're scared, but you're still going to have to tell me." Brandon opens his mouth, but she raises and had. "Because I know you love me back. No more of this fucking half honesty."

The latter part had been a gamble – because she hadn't bee completely sure of his feelings, but Brandon's shoulders slump, and he briefly nods his head. "Wallet," he finally mutters, raising his hands to pinch the bridge of his nose in a gesture that looks an awful lot like defeat. "Lily's the second photo from the back on the left. Just go get it and you'll understand."

Cass's eyes narrow. Brandon's in sweats. He doesn't have his wallet on him. "I swear to god that if you're not here when I get back..."

His tone is wry. "What? Where else am I supposed to go at this point? I don't have a car, Cass. I don't even have a decent pair of shoes."

"Fine." Still. "Jarvis..." She raises her voice.

"Do not worry, Ms Tidwell. Barring any sort of damage to the structural integrity of the house, all exits have been ordered locked until Mr. Stark returns."

Cass and Brandon both share a look, able even now to take note of the extremity of Tony's solution to keeping his houseguests put. "Great, now I'm a victim of both assault and federal kidnapping," Brandon mutters a little acerbically. "As if this whole damn month hasn't already sucked enough."

Cass muffles a breathy laugh at that. "That's very...comforting, Jarvis," she remarks as she edges out of the room. "Keep tabs where he goes, please." Just because Brandon can't leave the property doesn't mean she wants to have to take the time to track him back down after she's seen whatever it is that he wants her to.

They are going to finish this damn conversation for once.

She strides to their shared room and finds his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. The picture he'd directed her to is only one of three in the wallet, and easy to locate.

In her hand a little girl of with dark colored hair is looking up from the rubber balloon seat of a swing-set, smiling at the man standing behind her, prepared to push on the next downswing.

"God, Tanner," she mutters, sinking onto the mattress, once she pulls it out. 'She'd got to be close to five years old. Why didn't you say something?" Because now everything made sense.

No wonder he'd freaked out so completely at the thought of being left unable to do his job…

Their eyes are identical. Cass doesn't even bother to question the child's paternity.

00oo00oo00oo00oo

Pepper knows from almost the first that something strange is going on with Tony. Though whether it's to the good or bad, she can't tell exactly. She's too distracted by his smell and the comforting warmth of his skin when she actually wakes up. They'd both fallen asleep earlier, naked in her bed, exhausted after what she'd fully intended to be a repeat groping session. Now Tony is wearing boxers, and judging by the dim light outside of her window shade, it is only minutes till dusk.

She groans, wiggling backwards, and feels his shaft harden against the warm skin of her ass. "Why in hell are you wearing clothing?" she mumbles in regret. He's spooned up behind her, awake but not really moving. Well except for the hand tracing smooth circles across her stomach.

Tony's only response is a low chuckle against the back of her neck before his fingers find her hardening nipple, squeezing tightly. He doesn't pull back until her hips start to rock forward and back restlessly.

She's ready again, center swelling and copious with moist heat.

"Mmm…someone's feeling twitchy." The words are a low, hungry rumble, as his hand ghosts down over the plane of her belly. His hand carefully massages her upper leg a moment, as if to make sure the muscles aren't going to cramp, before pulling it back to lie half over his hip. The new position spreads her open and grants his fingers all the access they need.

"That's my girl," he murmurs, nipping the back of her neck as his pointer finger finds her clit. "So fucking sexy. Just go ahead and come for me." He makes no attempt to string her out this time, and less than a minute later she's obeying, hips spasming furiously. More kisses follow along her earlobe. "How's your leg doing, Amante?" he whispers. "If I put you on your back for awhile do you think that your thigh can take the weight?"

Her leg is throbbing a little, but the rest of her is pleasantly limp. The minor discomfort doesn't stop her from nodding. "Yeah, that's fine."

He groans again in approval, shifting away so she can pivot onto her back, then tugging down the front of his boxers and returning to lay propped up on his forearms with his lips pressed to her neck again, and his pelvis aligned with hers. They both shudder at the feel of his cock sliding in the narrow gap of space between her thighs, hot skin sliding atop her clit.

He buries his face in her hair, murmuring something that sounds suspiciously like 'mine.'

"Condom?" she questions softly. She's more than willing if he agrees to be done with the wait.

He pauses a moment at the suggestion as a shudder runs through him. Then he shakes his head, hips rocking back and forth gently. "Next time? I promise. Right now you just feel too good. I don't want to *move.* Everything's still in the kitchen."

She chuckles and settles both hands on his ass, fingernails digging in to the skin just a little. 'Except the cock ring still on the floor.' "Go ahead and knock yourself out."

She narrows the gap with a clench of her thighs, tilting her pelvis upward just enough that his next rock forward also brushes along her crease. That Tony really likes. His kiss is greedy. Hungry. Possessive. He repeats the back and forth motion again as one hand tangles deeply in her hair. His hand tightens, pulling lightly at the hair in his grasp as a low groan rumbles through his chest. Pepper arches restlessly as she murmurs her own pleasure, hands continuing to encourage him with every flex and retreat of his hips.

They rock that way for several minutes before she feels him shift to one side, followed by the warm gush of semen against the outside of her leg. She doesn't come again herself, but her inner muscles clench a little bit in what amounts to sympathetic contentment. They end up rolled onto their sides, her nose buried in the hollow of his shoulder.

"You okay?" He runs a hand through her hair.

"Better than." She nods her head, lips pressing delicately against his skin.

His arms tighten around her, almost convulsively. "I'm glad."

Eventually he relaxes a little, and lets his hands resume their wandering. This time though, the exploration is less sexual than sensual. It's gentle…caressing. The touch so light you'd think she was breakable or something.

Her brow wrinkles a little and she shifts her head. "Tony?"

He pulls back enough to meet her gaze. "Yeah?"

"You seem a little…off. Has…has something bad happened?"

He shakes his head almost too vehemently, though it's possible that he hasn't quite regained full control of his body yet. "I'm fine. We're…fine?"

It's just a little too close to being a question for the statement to ring true.

Her brow wrinkles and she pulls back. "Okay; blatant lie there. Talk to me?"

The look on his face tells her what he's going to say before he opens his mouth. Okay, not the exact words, but she knows they're going to be a load of crap, so she doesn't even bother letting him say them. She turns and braces herself on his shoulders, pinning him lightly to the bed. "Don't even start, Stark. I'm not in the mood to be put off."

He blinks at her wordlessly. Where his mouth is at a loss though, his hands are a bit more capable. They land lightly on her sides and slide leisurely down to her hips where they tug her down to rest against him. They cup her bottom lightly before traveling back up to her waist, and one side of his mouth turns up into a wry, semi-self deprecating smile.

"I..uhm…I looked through your family photo albums while you were sleeping."

00oo00oo00

Tony doesn't say more than that, half because he's not sure what to say, and half because he's curious about what her reaction to the information will be. Technically he'd had every right. But only technically…

Pepper just looks...confused. "And you found something in them that got you upset?"

"I just...there was a lot that you had…that you lost… before you met me."

"Like a life?" The comment is meant to be disparaging of her own workaholic tendencies, but Tony flinches. "Okay, that was unfair. I'm sorry. What...?" Pepper searches his eyes and is stunned by the pain she sees reflected back.

It's then that she finally starts to understand, at least partially.

Tony's possessive and uncertain. Uncomfortable in his own skin. The last time she saw him this way was when she threatened to quit.

When she'd threatened to leave.

And if she thinks about it, so many of their fights recently could probably be attributed to times when Tony had felt as if he wasn't getting what he needed from her. Her support, her approval. When he feared he might not be enough.

Full understanding sinks in like ball of lead in her stomach. Something she'd had before she'd met Tony hadn't been a "life", but someone with which to share her life. Which could explain what Tony was now uncertain of having. And that was...her heart.

"You looked through all the albums?" she asks him gently.

Tony doesn't quite meet her eyes as he nods.

"Peter Harmon?" He finally speaks, hesitantly. "I didn't know you've ever been engaged, Pepper.…your background check only stated you've never been married."

"I never have been," she finally responds quietly.

"Why?" Tony looks genuinely confused. "I mean what happened? He didn't look in the photos like a bastard or creep…"

She smiles at the unintentional compliment. The assumption any problem leading to the dissolution of their relationship would have been with Peter and not her.

"No. Peter was a great guy. One of the best I've ever met. He...he died in a work-related accident before we could marry."

He winces. 'Another loss, then, Stark. One of far, far too many.'

"Tony…" Hand comes to rest under his chin and tug it up. "It was a long, long time ago…"

Her face is just so... Peaceful? Accepting? Resigned? Whatever it is makes him pull her down to where he can kiss her, this time very gently.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I remember how it feels to lose love, I mean. Even if not exactly the same kind." He holds her close as he nuzzles her cheek, and bumps his nose against hers, and kisses her some more. And whatever it is that he can't identify in her expression makes her hold him close in return, makes her stroke the side of his face and sigh at the gentleness of his touch.

"I know you are, Tony." She pulls back then, eyes a little far away. "You would have actually liked him I think...if you and Peter had ever the chance to meet. Your perspectives on the world were tinged by a similar sense of...good humored perversity. Plus he was a L.A fireman. You were both committed to the public service thing."

His smile is gentle. "A rescue worker, huh? Is that why you're so dedicated to the yearly Fireman's benefit? As a way to honor him?"

She nods a little, "In part at least. Though also because I know how great the fire-fighter's community is. How much they endure…and the way they treat each other like a family." She snorts, "Plus Peter always did love to drag me out in a nice dress. He claimed I was seriously 'party deficient.'"

"You are a bit of stick in the…oww!" His expression when she pulls her fist back from his shoulder is half pouty, half teasing. "You're mean!"

"So are we both really okay now?" She repeats the question again.

He nods, "Yeah. We're good. I didn't mean to be elusive, Pep…I just didn't know how to mention it, you know? Talking about the past can be…"

"Hard," she finishes for him.

"Yeah. And you're finally at the point that all your knots are unknotting." He sighs. "I really didn't want to tense you up again if I could help it. I mean, we both know I haven't exactly been a good thing for you in terms of stress lately."

"I need to strangle you and Brandon both," Pepper grumbles sardonically. "He's too quick to give you all the blame for my exhaustion, and you're too quick to take all the credit. I'm entitled to at least some of the responsibility for the things that happen to me."

"Some as opposed to all?" This time its Tony's finger that pokes her gently. "Because I *might* agree to going fifty-fifty."

"You can't fix what you don't know about. Seventy-Thirty."

"I can fucking pay better attention though. Sixty-Forty. Best offer."

"Fine, fifty-fifty." Pepper mutters sarcastically. "God, sometimes you're a stubborn bastard Tony."

"Says the Pott to the Stark." He winks, "Give it up Pep, we both know that most of the time, my attitude looks sexy on me."

"Sexy. Right You're delusional…"

His fingers find her rib cage, tickling gently. "Delusional? Delusional?! What you're on to insulting my *brain* now after I prove my dexterity?"

Pepper squeals, attempts to roll away, and failing, starts to tickle back in retaliation.

"At least I didn't call them delusions of *grandeur*…" She manages several minutes later, as they both lie, gasping from laughter on their stomachs. Tony's breathless response is a single playful smack to her ass.

Pepper jumps a little at the sting, then shifts her hips against the bed sheet looking at him half accusingly.

"What?" he winks. "It was the target most readily available for retaliation."

Before she can think of a retort, his hand cups her rear again, squeezing gently. "Besides you deserve it just for being so fucking tempting." She bites back a groan as his nails scrape with just enough pressure to make her squirm over the surface of her bottom.

"You have *such* an ass fetish…"

The retort earns her another tingly smack.

"God." Tony murmurs reverently. "I just wish you could see how fucking good a little blush looks on you right now."

"Stark…" Much more of this and she's going to jump him again.

His fingers trail over bottom, before gently tugging her thighs open with a groan. "So ready *all the damn time* and the condoms are still in the kitchen."

She gasps as two fingers find her opening and push inside carefully, finding her g-spot almost immediately. "So get up and *get* them." She retorts breathlessly.

"In a minute, Amante. I figure you're due a little pay back first for what you did with that cock ring. "

"Like you didn't love it!" she protests.

"Hell yeah." This time the nails of his free hand scrape over her ass, feather light. "And you're loving this."

Pepper groans, hips trembling.

He chuckles, "Though I've obviously got a lot of work to do here if you're still capable of speaking."

"Torturer," she murmurs, grinding into the sheets.

He laughs. "You say that like you actually believe it's a bad thing."

Her orgasm surprises both of them, hitting suddenly and clenching tight around his hand.

"There. Now I can make a run for the kitchen for supplies." He smirks, pulling his hand back, then blinking in shock at the hungry rumble that rises up from his, and then her belly.

Pepper snorts, rolling to the side of the bed as well. "Apparently not before we both get something to eat."

Tony grins, "Well it's not like we're not using up calories." He's still only half hard anyway, thanks to their earlier humping session. Pepper takes note of this and decides discretion can be the better part of valor in some situations.

Not that she lets him off completely. "Just so you know…our next time out. I'm on top."

He raises an eyebrow. "Do I need to fear for my ass?" he inquires just a little too innocently, squirming back into his boxers.

"What you better fear is my Kegel's." He groans and she grins. "We all need to master what God gave us, Tony."

He groans again. "Food. We can discuss this more at length while we eat."


	22. Chapter 21

"Potts, your cat is all but visually molesting me..."

The words are half frightened, half amused, but that doesn't stop Tony from snorting aloud as he finishes the last of the soda in his Coke can. In his cat carrier, Tucker lays, purring madly, paw reaching toward him through the wire kennel grate.

Pepper only shrugs, taking another sip of her own bottle of iced tea. "Yeah well, you gave him tuna earlier, even after you were warned how much he loves it. If cat-nip is the marijuana of the feline world, then tuna is his version of Ecstasy. Get used to having a fan-boy."

"Fan boys I can handle, though I'll admit this is the first if the fuzzy category. I suppose it could be worse…at least this one isn't likely to try and pickpocket or grope me."

Pepper chuckles. "You're a bad influence on him, you do know that right? It took me two months to get him to stop begging for food, and now he's back to doing it again. He's gonna keep testing the water now that he knows that you're a softer target, hoping to get lucky."

"This is begging?" Tony raises an eyebrow. "And what do you mean, a bad influence on HIM? I was under the impression that I was a worse influence on you."

Pepper ignores the aside, mainly because he's right and there's really nothing more to be said. "This is his version of begging, yes...though he normally reserves that look for when I'm actually at the table. He also used to try and jump on my lap if I had steak, but now he just settles for sitting there and staring expectantly…" She pauses, "If I have salmon he'll rub at my shins or drape himself across my feet."

Tuck's purring increases exponentially at her words, and Tony rolls his eyes. "That's right suck up...show proper deference to your mistress. You are SO whipped."

Pepper laughs again at the overplayed accent. "Mistress? Hardly, Tony. At best I'm just the primary member of his personal 'staff'."

Tony shakes his head, defending his position. "It's pretty clear he worships the ground that you walk on, Amante…and as odd as it is to say this about a cat you literally hold the end of his leash. Under the circumstances, I think the term Mistress damn well applies."

"Yes well, I doubt I'm really that so much in his head as I am the 'oddly hairless Mama-Cat.'"

Pepper's admission produces a sharp bark of laughter from Tony. "If he was as small as you say when you rescued him...it makes sense. Not that I know much about feline psychology." Tony looks down at his feet for a moment then shakes his head. Pepper's about to ask what he's thinking when he speaks up again. "So…did he really wake you up every four hours demanding food when you first brought him home? Because that just sounds exhausting to me."

Of course, Tony admits, he shouldn't really be surprised by Pepper's dedication or patience.

His lover shrugs. "He was a stone's throw from newborn those first few days. And it was more like every 2-3 hours. Though thankfully after about a week he was able to take in more at once and start to eat on a semi regular schedule."

Tony winces. "God. And you dealt with that AND worked your normal hours? How? Talk about sleep deprivation…" No wonder she'd been so pale when he'd first gotten back from Afghanistan.

Pepper shrugs. "It wasn't quite as bad as you're making it out to be. You have to remember that I didn't adopt Tuck until about six weeks after you went missing. By that point I was caught up on everything at the office and mansion. There was nothing to DO - well except try and keep people from ransacking the basement - so I had Jarvis upload me a link to my laptop at home, and I took of few weeks of my unclaimed vacation time..."

Tony frowns. "Excuse me? 'Ransacking the basement?'"

Pepper blinks before she nods and chews her lower lip a moment. Then she glances at him briefly before she gestures helplessly with her free hand. "Don't worry about that, Tony - no one but me made it through the security doors or into your private mainframe."

"Who was..." His tone is deadly, and Tony has to remind himself to relax and lower his voice. He doesn't want her to assume his sudden surge of disgust is aimed at her somehow failing at her job.

"Conway. Nielson. Patterson." Pepper reluctantly admits. She flexes a shoulder as if shrugging it off. "As I said, don't worry about it, Tony. It's already been dealt with. I talked to legal. They had your will and other legal documentation. They handled it." She pauses, face growing thoughtful. "You know, in retrospect I'm a little amazed Obadiah didn't try to get past Jarvis as well...the files on your personal hard-drive have to be incredibly valuable."

"There was no need for him to try and get in, Pepper." It's almost...bizarre...to speak so calmly of a man who had tried to kill both of them. "He'd seen my will and he knew that all he needed to do was wait and he'd get what he wanted..."

Pepper looks at him in askance, so he continues. "Aside from a few specific bequests, my final instructions stipulated that if anything happened to me then all my remaining work and possessions - including my unfinished projects and blueprints - were to be placed in a charitable trust over which you were to be named paid executor. I also left instructions requesting that you give SI the first rights to buy any works I produced at a cost slightly less than their fair market value."

"Why…"

"In exchange for me giving them the discount, they had to agree to deposit a percentage cut of all resulting profits from said work back into the fund to help keep it solvent... It was a great deal for them - profitable for the R&D department and good for their bottom line at tax time."

A strangled gasp makes it out of Pepper's throat. "No, why me?"

He shrugs a little. "It's not like I have any other family, Pepper –"

"Yes, but –"

"Who BETTER than you to run it? You LOVE organizing that sort of thing. And you also know me well enough that we both know you would have known what kind of things I'd have wanted or not wanted my family's name attached to. Besides," he releases her hand and shrugs coloring slightly, "As you said yourself after I got back - you loathe job hunting..."

She keeps staring at him as his ears start turning faintly red.

"Well, it's not as if I expected to actually ever NEED to use the will, Pep."

That finally breaks her silence. "You are SO perverse…you know that?" she informs him in amused exasperation.

"Why?"

"You're embarrassed. For getting caught doing something NICE."

"Yeah well what can I say, I need to protect my heartless reputation."

She snorts again. "Heartless my ass."

"Shhhhhhhhhh. Keep your eyes on the road or you're going to miss our exit."

"Admit it Stark, you have a carefully hidden decent streak."

"Rumors. Slander. Don't make me call my lawyer Ms Potts to defend my bad name."

Pepper snorts at that. "I doubt you know his name, much less his number."

He sighs in mock distress. "I get no respect from anyone anymore."

"None at all. Finish your Coke and make sure to bring the can into the mansion with you."

"Yes dear."

Pepper can't quite keep the smile from curling up the corner of her lips. "I think I prefer 'yes mistress' actually."

*******

They barely have time to get out of the car before Jarvis announces the next crisis.

"Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, I don't mean to alarm you but it seems that your guests are suffering a serious case of being left alone with each other. It would be prudent for the two of you both to provide some distraction with your company."

Tony raises an eyebrow, than raises a hand to rub his forehead before sighing deeply. "Thank you, Jarvis. For being both uninformative *and* ominous."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm unable to comprehend the source of the stress on their interpersonal dynamic. Thus my suggestion that intervention by another human is advisable."

Pepper snorts softly, setting down Tucker's travel crate and opening the front latch. She peeks inside to find him once again asleep. "Jarvis, how about you start by telling us where each of them are?"

"Mr. Tanner is in the library, cross checking his term paper against several books from the medial reference section. Ms. Tidwell is, I believe the correct slang term is, 'slinging drinks' at the bar in the grand room."

Tony blinks. "Did you just say Cass is drinking?"

That is out of character for her - at least in Tony's recollection. Cass Tidwell drinks a good glass of wine. VERY occasionally.

"No, Sir. I apologize for my poor explanation. Rather than imbibing alcohol she seems to be practicing acrobatic ways to serve it."

"Ooooooooh..." Barside pageantry.

He looks at Pepper who seems to understand the explanation as well. She raises an eyebrow than chews her lip for a moment before shrugging resignedly. "I'll deal with Brandon if you want to handle Cass."

Tony nods in agreement, though he does look a little chagrined. "You sure, Amante? I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't hit him if left alone with him. And this may be a 'guys vs girls' thing…"

She smiles. "That's not really the issue...I don't know Cass as well as I know him. If we want them to open up…it's better not to go with a stranger…" Pepper very much doubts Tony will be able to get anything out of Brandon.

She has a point there, and Tony nods in defeat. "Okay then. Probably wiser to be honest anyway. Because I was totally lying. Him not getting hit would have depended on his attitude."

"I know," Pepper says dryly. "Look, just go talk to Cass, all right? I can take the elevator upstairs by myself. I'll let you know if there's trouble."

He nods reluctantly then heads for the grand room.

When he gets there it's to find Cass juggling not one but three separate drink mixers. She's doing so with her eyes closed so Tony's a little startled when she speaks. "Don't get too close, Stark," she cautions. "I haven't done this in years; my aim may not be all that good any more..."

Tony takes a seat at the bar - quietly, so he won't have to help her clean up if she misses. Cass ignores him for a few seconds longer, the mixers going higher up into the air on every pass through her hands, before catching them all with a flourish and setting them on the bar. Tony watches her - she's breathing heavily and he can't tell if it's from exertion or if she's just pissed off - before offering, "So that was impressive. Want an acetylene torch so you can light them on fire next?"

"Don't tempt me." Her voice is dry. "So you guys are back finally. Is the furball all right?"

"He came home without a cone. Things could have been worse." Despite her calm tone, there's something in her manner that has Tony reluctant to ask what the problem is yet. "I was serious earlier, Tidwell. I can take you down to the garage if it will help and we'll toss around some fireballs or maybe hit the gun range. We'll keep it away from the cars, and the fire suppression system will take care of the rest."

Her lips quirk up. "It's probably best right now not to let me near anything right now that's capable of lighting anything on fire. A weight set or punching bag maybe…but to be frank that kind of equipment doesn't exactly strike me as your 'thing'."

"It's that bad then?" Tony keeps his voice as casual as he can. Still he genuinely wants to know - Cass is usually a good judge of any given situation.

"Worse." She turns to the stock of liquor and pulls out a bottle of one of his better bourbons.

"Um, Tidwell...? You're pissed. Anyone can see that. This might not be the best time to start drinking."

"I don't drink it, I serve it, Stark. Go stand down at the end of the bar."

He raises a brow but obeys. "If it will actually help for me to do so, all right..."

"Someone's got to catch it this." She pours a shot and slides it down to his end.

Tony catches the glass, but doesn't toss it back. Instead he dumps it out in the bar sink and turns it over to rest on the bartop. "Um…I don't think getting me drunk is going to be much help either. Certainly not going to be of any help to Pepper. Look, if you're feeling restless, why don't we do something else. We can always take one of the cars out. Zoom-zoom and all."

Before Cass can answer Jarvis interrupts with an almost apologetic beep. "Mr. Stark, you ordered no one be allowed on or off the property without your notification. Now that you have returned, Mr. Tanner has called for a taxi to meet him out at the front gate."

Tony watches as Cass's mouth tightens into a nearly invisible line. Then she sighs. "Let the stubborn idiot out. I'm reasonably sure he'll be back."

Tony studies her a moment, clearly skeptical, but decides to trust her judgment…with one small exception. Though his next statement isn't based so much on Tanner's actions as they are on Pepper's likely response to his leaving. "Jarvis, call back and cancel the taxi. Then call Happy and have him swing by with the limo...and another guy for back up. I want Happy to stay with Pepper wherever it is that they're heading."

He glances at Cass when she starts pouring a drink despite the inadvisability of it. "Put that down. We're going driving. Pepper can handle Tanner."

Cass sets the drink on the table but doesn't look up. "He's not going to want company, Tony, you realize that, right?"

"AND? I know Pepper - she's going to go with him come hell or high water, and so they're going to stay safe while they are out doing whatever it is Brandon's so hell bent on doing. In the meantime, my job this afternoon is to nanny goat you."

She raises a brow and tilts her head for a moment. "You let me get this straight…you want to let them go out alone? But together? That doesn't sound particular conducive to the safety of either."

Tony shrugs, well aware of Cass' underlying meaning. "If Brandon's really that insistent on doing whatever it is he's doing than it is better do have him do it this way than have him trying to sneak around. Happy's more than competent - and with Pepper along he won't take any unnecessary risks." He straightens up, "Now it's your turn. What do you want to do to blow off some steam?"

Apparently seeing the logic of that argument, Cass debates for several moments. "Well I suppose if you don't have a full gym a swim would work. Are your pools prepped for company? Though…." she pauses. "Never mind. I didn't pack my swimsuit."

"Would you believe me if I said that I have women's swimsuits here at the house? And not be disgusted by the fact?"

She snorts, though there's no real censure in her voice. "Why should I be surprised that the tiger has stripes? You always did have a savant gift for women throwing random bits of their clothing at you." She chews her lower lip for a moment. "I'll assume said aforementioned swimsuits have been dry cleaned and not just stuffed in a dresser drawer in your bedroom?"

"I'm not a total pervert. Do you want to see your choices, or be amazed by how accurately I can guess what size you probably wear?"

Her lips curl up. "What happened to not being a total pervert, Stark?"

Tony rolls his eyes. "It's not as if I'm doing something that any personal shopper doesn't do."

She snorts. "Go ahead and keep on trying to make it sound innocent, Nos. It still skirts the edge. And I somehow doubt Ms Potts would see it in quite the same light…" the look she shoots his way is sly, "…I have a pretty damn good idea which side your bread is buttered on these days."

Tony raises an eyebrow. "Did you just compare me to TOAST, Tidwell?"

She smirks. "You are. And it looks good on you."

Tony shrugs, though he colors a little. "Like I said, have it your way. Clearly there's no way I can convince you that all I need to guess your approximate size is prior familiarity with what you look like in that leather bustier you like to occasionally slip into." Tony rocks back on his heels, whistling innocently. "So do you want to use the indoor or outdoor pool?"

"Indoor definitely. A tan is always nice but sunburn's only for pussies."

Tony clucks, then turns to head for the guest room. There's a closet there with a whole assortment of abandoned party clothing. "Such language, Cassandra...does anyone else know about this sailor side of yours?" He waits until she stops in front of the closet door before pulling it open and gesturing with one hand. "Well, anyone else who's never been to your club, I mean. Clearly everyone there knows about this foulmouthed proclivity you have."

Cass starts sorting through hangers, pulling out a suit or two before rejecting it for one reason or another. "What can I say…I'm the granddaughter of a hell and fire brimstone southern Baptist preacher who used to wash my mouth out with soap. My fall from grace was probably not only inevitable, but pre-ordained."

"Kyrie Eleison…?"

"Something like that anyway."

The next suit Cass pulls out manages to gain her approval. She turns to head toward the room's Asian style changing screen, speaking again before she disappears behind it. "At least I'm not as bad as Gracie...but then SHE went to Catholic school."

Tony snorts. "Yeah well, it doesn't hurt that she gets a smack every time she does curse." He pauses, "Or rather, it does hurt, which is probably the motivation for her cursing."

Cass laughs. "True enough. Not that Jace minds helping her 'clean up' her language. Hell, he'll probably miss it a little when Grace stops swearing for the sake of their kid." She re-emerges in a bright blue two piece swimsuit. "One thing for certain…it's going to be amusing as hell watching those two adapt to life with a baby..."

Tony nods at that, "That it will, I suspect. I suppose it's inevitable - life catches up with all of us eventually. Frankly, though, the idea of any of us as parents is kind of scary."

Cassie sobers up immediately at that comment. "Yeah. It is," she agrees. "So where's the pool?

"First level. Come on I'll lead the way."

88888888888888888888888888888888888888

Pepper stands back and lets Brandon pace. Rather than go down and wait for the taxi inside the house - where they might run into Cassie and Tony, which would be counter productive at this point - she brought Brandon around and out so that they're waiting outside in the sun. She has to admit that the gentle heat is nice...not that her companion has noticed.

"How long can it take to drive out here?" Brandon practically demands on his next pass by her bench.

"Depending on the time of day and the traffic...as long as an hour and a half. You sure you don't want me to drive you? If this is just an errand I'd be happy to get the Audi...."

Brandon snorts softly. "Ginny, no offense, but where I'm going is NOT on your side of town." He eyes her, noticing the way she's got her leg stretched out in front of her. "Besides, it looks like you've done enough driving for one day. You should stay here and ice that leg. It's got to hurt like hell."

Pepper rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't try to use my being injured as an excuse to keep me from going anywhere, considering that you're the one who looks like you've just played chicken with a couple of two by fours. So are you at least going to tell me what's so important it can't wait a few more days before you head out to 'deal with it'?"

Brandon just growls under his breath and starts another circuit. Luckily they're saved from strained conversation by the arrival of a car. Unluckily, while Pepper had suspected what was really taking so long, Brandon is clearly caught by surprise by the sleek limo that pulls up to the house.

"I don't suppose Stark mentioned needing to go anywhere," Brandon says, planting his feet and turning mulish.

"No," Pepper said patiently. "However, you're a guest, you're injured, and most importantly, Tony knows me well enough to know that I'd probably end up going with you as soon as you called for a taxi. So, here's Happy and a bulletproof ride for both of us, free of charge."

"Ginny, I am NOT taking a limo into the PROJECTS." Brandon spits out in exasperation. "As if I don't ALREADY have a blinking target on my back."

Pepper blinks at his admission of their destination, but otherwise keeps her reaction off her face. "You have a valid point. Why don't you go tell it to Tony and see where it gets you?"

Brandon's fists clench. "Maybe because it's not any of his damn business where I go? He's not MY friend or my boss or my lover - have you considered that? I get that he's yours, Ginny…but it doesn't entitle him to my fucking life story…"

"No it doesn't. But it does entitle him to the right to try and keep me safe. In this case that means you're stuck with the proper security precautions because you're stuck with me."

"Ginny, I'll be back…you don't have to…"

"Yes. I do. For a lot of reasons." Pepper sighs. "Look, Brandon: I know we got off on the wrong foot this morning, and I'm sorry about the way I acted. A lot more in my life has been changing recently than just finding out that your name wasn't Brian Webber, all right? So some of the awkwardness was understandable. But underneath all of that, underneath the way that we met all those months ago and met today, you have always, always treated me like a person. More than that - like a FRIEND. And friends don't let other friends walk into trouble alone. "

"The limo," she waves to the car when he makes a face, "has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the way Tony's going to protect me while allowing me to be what I need to be as your friend. Unless you're claiming you'd let Cass or I go anywhere alone looking the way that you currently do? "

She watches Brandon make a face before she continues carefully. "So, it's up to you whether or not we get into the car."

He sighs deeply. "Can we at least take something a little more innocuous?"

"As I said we can always take my Audi."

"Fine. If you're that set on this, Ginny I won't try and stop you from coming along. Hell, bring along whatever his name is if you like for protection...though there isn't much point. I'm not going anywhere overtly dangerous. This trip consists of a couple of errands. I need to pick up Lily's allergy meds and drop them off at her apartment. Pay the rest of this semester's tuition so they'll mail me my transcripts after my final is graded. I also need to buy and new set of spark plugs and wires for my car…"

"Alright. I know a good shop not far from here where you can get the latter at a reasonable price. Come give me a hand up. Happy can take us back to my car."

Brandon looks at her oddly, but does as he's asked. "You're stiff. Back acting up again?"

"Incredibly," Pepper admits. "And if it wouldn't get you murdered, I would probably ask for a back rub. But Tony's feeling a little possessive with you in the house, so let's not push him any more than we have to."

Brandon snorts. "Don't worry…contrary to popular opinion lately I'm NOT suicidal."

"Smart man. Besides," she gestures to the way he's using his arm to brace his ribcage. "Isn't calling me stiff kind of the pot calling the kettle black?"

He snorts a little. "Believe it or not, Ginny, it's not even the worst I've ever had..." At Pepper's incredulous look he shrugs. "Reality of growing up where I did…sometimes trying to stay out of the gangs will get you beat on as much as joining one can."

He's serious - Pepper can see it. "And yet you still like ...well you and Cass…" She cuts the words off, coloring. She can't grasp how anyone who was once a victim of that kind of violence could find pain in any form fun.

Brandon chuckles humorlessly. "You're falling into the trap most people do. Whips and chains aren't necessarily what brings everyone into the scene."

Pepper's face is still hot. "It's…look, truthfully it's none of my business. To each their own."

Now his words grow more gentle. "Maybe not. But this confuses you and I don't mind explaining." He shifts slightly, "Tell me, Pepper, how do you feel at the end of a business meeting when everything's gone well and you've had a successful sale? Good right? I assume there's a kind of adrenaline rush…"

She blinks at the comparison. "Yeah I guess. But what does that have to do with this?"

He gives her an almost cryptic smile. "Some people look for that sense of accomplishment in a boardroom, some people do so in the bedroom…either way the high's in the knowledge that for whatever length of time, you've been ENOUGH…"

Brandon wipes a hand over his face, then helps Pepper into the limo. After the door closes, he looks at her. "For some people, the release of being a sub comes from knowing you've measured up to or surpassed the expectations of your Dom. For others, it's the opportunity to give up their chokehold on the reins that's attractive." The look he gives her is highly meaningful. Then his lips curl up at the corners, "Do you know what's really ironic about this whole situation? I knew I was going to have to leave, one way or another, when the shit started to hit the fan. And so I was getting a list ready for you. Possible replacements for me. And Nos…well he was at the top of said list."

She startles, mouth opening. "What?"

Brandon's lips quirk up. "I didn't know who you worked for back then, remember? And since you were already emotionally 'taken,' I figured he would make the perfect kind of no-strings partner for you - he wasn't likely to ask for permanence. " His look turns wry, "Of course now that I do know who the both of you are…well I really don't recommend trying to carry out a just-sex arrangement with someone that you're actually in love with…when it eventually falls apart the results can be painful."

"But...Tony?" Pepper can't seem to say anything more coherent than that at the moment.

He shrugs. "If you did drop by the club, then you probably got your fill of ribbing...or Tony did at least. But I suppose you'd know better than anyone that his tastes vary significantly...and he's surprisingly patient when it suits him to be. I knew he wouldn't rush you into anything you weren't ready for. Or at least, that's what I thought I knew before I found out that he's been the source of that significant pain in your…neck."

"Tony isn't responsible for my..."

He cuts her off. "Bullshit. Granted not many of us get much say as to who we fall in love with but still...he's careless with people…probably because so many throw themselves at him regularly."

"No, you can't choose who you fall for. I know didn't." Pepper raises her chin and her eyebrow, a clear challenge to keep on heaping all the blame on Tony. "Not any more than he can help doing things that drive me insane with either worry or frustration on a semi regular basis. We're wired very differently. Yes, he makes mistakes sometimes - but he'll bend himself over backwards in an attempt to fix them -"

Brandon raises his hands, as if in surrender. "I'm not saying it can't work out between you - because it probably can, if you both want it badly enough. But only if you both know up front exactly who the other person is, and are willing to bend where the other will break." He makes a face, "And you also have to both commit to total honesty. Because once you get in the habit of lying to either yourself or each other…I really don't know if you can find a way to repair that."

"It's hard to lie to each other when you don't actually talk about anything meaningful," Pepper murmurs dryly. As much as their conversation is about Tony and her, she's sensing theirs isn't the only one on Brandon's mind. "Which sounds like a condition you and I share. Not that I'm prying. It's just an observation."

Brandon flinches a little "Touché. What can I say - do as I say and not as I do."

Pepper debates a moment silently. "So do I ever get to know who Bella is and why you think that she wants me dead?" She voices the question as gently as she can.

Brandon looks out his window, his body language becoming still and uncommunicative. "I don't know anything for certain," he mumbles.

"But you have a hunch." 'Come on, Brandon. WORK WITH ME…'

He jerks his head in a rough nod up and down. "Yeah. The men who attacked me at my apartment belonged to a gang from my old neighborhood called the Blue Crypts."

"The who?" Her forehead wrinkles at his admission.

"The Blue Crypts. One of their members is a woman by the name of Isabelle Delmico..."

"…Otherwise known as Bella?" Pepper hazards to guess.

Brandon nods. "She grew up in the same building as I did as a kid...we even shared the same babysitter. Only the gang recruiters I managed to avoid in high school had a lot more luck with reeling her in. Largely because she liked the drugs they were offering." He shakes his head. "I've offered to help her get out of the neighborhood and get clean at least a dozen times in recent years...but all she sees is the prestige that she thinks her gang ties bring."

His eyes squeeze shut tightly for a moment and the pain on his face makes Pepper's gut ache. "As for why she wants you dead, Ginny…she probably thinks you're in some kind of competition with her…" At Pepper's blank look he shifts in his seat… "She's got a 'thing' for me, all right? Thinks that we're an item, or at least that we should be. I've told her that can never happen, but for a number of reasons she just does not want to believe me…"

"You're saying that she sent other members of her gang to beat you to a pulp because you won't date her?" Pepper asks him, appalled.

His jaw tightens. "Yes. No. Not just that. There's also Lily. She can't seem to accept that the judge awarded me permanent custody." At Pepper's blank look he sighs. "The two of us share a daughter," he informs her bluntly.

Pepper blinks. And Brandon sighs again, reaching up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"…You have a child with a woman who tried to kill you?" she finally questions, disbelieving. "But if she was such bad news why would you have even…?" The words die off.

Brandon's face is bleak as he slumps back against his seat. "It wasn't DELIBERATE, all right?"

He falls silent for several long minutes, than starts speaking again in a strangely disconnected tone. "About six years ago Bella ran into me on a really, REALLY shitty day – I'd just found out a good friend of mine was out of remission. She offered me a shoulder to cry on that I should have known better than to take."

He shrugs a little. "It was supposed to just be one drink and then a couch to crash on overnight until I got my head straight. Only we didn't stop at one, and I woke up in the bedroom the next day."

He drops his hand. "Three weeks later she comes to me and says that she's pregnant. I've been trying to do right by Lily ever since. That's what my second job - what going back to school, has been all about."

"You re-enrolled in college? Did you decide to study writing then?"

He shakes his head. "No. It's not reliable enough income. I'm working on a major in foreign languages. Specialty in Spanish and Portuguese dialects. I hope once I'm through to get work as a translator in either New York City or maybe San Diego."

Her forehead wrinkles, "You're…you're leaving L.A?" God, she's only known the woman a day, but even she can tell Cass is going to be devastated.

Brandon shrugs. "I don't want to. But I don't see that I have any choice. Bella won't stop this until she's in jail or out of the Crypts – and I can't accomplish either of those things. I also can't beat off an entire gang on my own. I HAVE to put Lily first."

"The police…"

"Can't fix this, Ginny. Not any more than the courts can make Bella truly accept her drug habit cost her Lily. She's going to keep trying to find her and if I stay in L.A where she has connections, then one of these days, she's going to succeed. I have to protect my kid, and that means getting us both out of the city while I still can. We need a fresh start – new scenery. A new life."

"When do you leave?" Pepper doesn't ask because she agrees that leaving is Brandon's only viable option. She asks because she needs to know exactly how long she and Tony and Jarvis have to come up with a way to fix this. Because she knows what Brandon doesn't. Bella Delmico may have fellow gang members who can help with her vendetta, but Pepper very much doubts she has Tony's broad range of connections.

"Not till my paper is done and turned in and I get my transcripts. I'll NEED them to transfer to a new school where I'm going. It'll take about three days to get my final grade after I turn it in next week.

"And Cass?"

"Has a life here. A circle of friends. A business she loves." Brandon's voice is very carefully monotone.

"Does she know?"

"I explained about Lily this afternoon."

"No. Does she know that you're planning on going?"

His shrug is noncommittal. "I haven't said the words yet, but she can probably sense them coming."

"Then you're just giving up."

There's no humor in his smile at all. "The word you're looking for is surrendering."

"You can't…there has to be…Brandon you have friends here too. There has got to be a more viable option."

"Do you think I'd be doing this to any of us if there was any other choice?" He shakes his head. "Sometimes, Ginny, life just sucks. You grow up and deal with it."

Pepper shuts up then, without saying more, because everything she says is just making it worse. "I…all right. So where does Lily live?"

"In an apartment thirty minutes from here – she's being looked after by my old Nanny these past few months. We need to stop a Walgreen or something before we stop though. Rosa told me last time I called her that Lily needs more children's Claritan. Not to mention the last time I saw Lily I promised that when I saw her next I'd bring her a surprise. I NEED to keep my word to her. Her mother rarely did…"

He smiles a little at Pepper. "I'm kind of glad you're here to be honest….I'm afraid I never know what the appropriate little girl gift should be…"

"Depends on the girl…is she tomboyish or the princess type…?"

Brandon smile a little, "A little of both actually. She likes to bike and kick around a ball at the park. Plays a mean game of monopoly. She's a little diva though too - I'm no longer allowed to buy her any hair bows or shoes without her there and I'm forbidden from braiding her hair. She claims that I make her look like Wednesday Adams."

Pepper nods and lets Brandon's voice fill the silence for the rest of the ride, while the wheels in her head keep turning and turning.

Because there has to be a way to fix this. There just has to be.

She just needs time. And a chance to talk with Tony.


	23. Chapter 22

It takes 35 laps in the indoor swim lane and two rounds of pool - one which Tony wins and the other which he doesn't- before Cass finally stops brooding and starts talking.

"So Brandon's got a kid." The three ball careens into the far corner pocket.

Tony blinks at that, staring at Cassandra a long moment. He raises an eyebrow, opens his mouth then closes it and simply nods - largely because he has no clue what else to say. Cass lines up the next ball and shoots, once again falling silent.

"I take it you don't mean he's suddenly bought himself a baby goat?" he finally says. Cass fumbles, and the seven ball ricochets off the sidewall.

Cass snorts. "No. Kid as in child. As in a five year old daughter. And that was cheating."

Tony nods. "Fair enough. Retake the shot." He wonders why in hell he had thought it would be a good idea for him to try and play well adjusted shoulder-to-lean on. Dealing with this kind of thing has never been his gift. Pepper's the one with 'people talent.' He debates for several moments on what the appropriate reply to this kind of information could possibly be, then goes with the inappropriate for lack of anything better.

"It's not yours, right?"

Cass growls under her breath. "No shit, Sherlock." She shoots and misses. "Your turn."

Tony adjusts the tip of his cue stick then moves in to take his shot. The ball banks around the table in a display of showmanship that's really just designed to give him more time to think. Finally he makes the assumption, "I'm guessing that your reply to this revelation was more or less this articulate."

"Less," she growls. "Remember, this was part of the discussion about how sometimes two people start to 'drift apart.' It was like being bludgeoned to death by relentless passivity." She shakes her head hard as if to clear it. "How in hell are you supposed to deal with that by the way - when you want to actually HAVE the fight but the other person refuses to put their gloves on? Since when does Brandon get to cast BOTH the votes on the status of our relationship?"

Tony shrugs, choosing to take the second question as rhetorical and answering the first instead. "It depends."

"On what, exactly?"

"Whether it's real apathy you're fighting against or something else. Why do you think he's trying so hard to check out?"

She sighs. "Fear. Pain. Overgrown Martyr Complex. Take your pick."

"That bad?"

"As I said, worse." She runs an agitated hand back through the long strands of hair threatening to flop over her forehead. "He's about to lose his job, he's mentally exhausted and a psycho bitch is out to hurt or kill him."

Tony's brow wrinkles at that. "How can an independent contractor lose…? No - you know what, never mind. Any chance that all the weight you just mentioned is warping his outlook?"

Cass' shoulders slump. "Good point. Not that I wanted to hear it. As for his job...He's apparently just recently learned that he's got carpal tunnel so bad he's going to end up needing surgery or crippling himself if he doesn't change his profession."

"Carpal tunnel huh? Is that why he started…"

"Yes. He's been moonlighting to raise extra money to cover college tuition. He's majoring on how to be an idiot."

Tony considers this a moment. His forehead wrinkles. "Because his potentially getting beat up or arrested for prostitution is going to help his daughter how?"

"I said he's desperate, Tony. I didn't say he's not still an imbecile." Cass exhales and her hand tightens around her pool cue.

"Mmmmhm. So – kid, career threatening injury, and Psychobitch. Anything else to add in?"

"Not that I know of. To sum up the situation, Brandon panicked and decided that needed a 'backup plan.' Hence the dangerous AND illegal option instead of…I don't know…asking his friends for help like any SANE person would have done. Because presumably OUR needs count for more than his do. Never mind that I wouldn't even OWN Ties that Bind if he hadn't spotted me half the down payment amount when I bought the original owner out several years ago."

She groans and gestures to the table. "Look can I just concede this round? Because my heads not in the game right now. I honestly can't decide what I need more right now, one of those inflatable mallets to use on his head or a very stiff drink."

Tony considers. A single glass of wine just might be therapeutic at this point. "Have you ever tried any Domaine Romanée-Conti?"

"Don't know. Is it under 300 bucks a bottle?"

Tony snorts. "Phillistine."

"Snobby Billionaire. Some of us have actual budgets." There's no vitriol in Cass' tone.

"Come on. Game conceded. You're going to try a glass of it today."

"As long as it doesn't taste like horse piss. Or look like it." She makes a face. " I can not tell you after all these years tending bar how much I hate the smell whiskey."

Tony nods, "I had noticed you're not a fan of hard liquor."

"Not true," Cass corrects, as she follows him down the steps into the basement and waits for him to open the workshop security doors. "I like Kahlua in a mudslide as much as any chocolate addict does. Schnapps is also okay. Oh - and before he died Jared finally taught me to appreciate a well aged Brandy. It's Brandon who refuses to go anywhere near the seriously intoxicating stuff. " Cass' lips quirk and for a moment her gaze turns inward. "Or put another way, Brandy LOATHES Brandy. Which under the circumstances, is deeply, DEEPLY ironic."

"I can't fault him not liking the nickname at least. It makes me think of a stripper."

Cass stops dead at that. "It what?!"

"With pigtails and a schoolgirl skirt. I kid you not."

Cass scoffs at that. "One - Brandy's a natural offshoot of his real name. Two – it's symbolically appropriate. Brandywine gets more complex the longer it ages and so has he. I think it fits."

"Pigtails." Tony mercilessly shoots back his opinion again.

The comment earns him a slightly insulted huff. "Yeah well I never asked your opinion. And I'm not even the one who originally came up with the name. Jared did. I just inherited the privilege..."

"Mmmmhm. So when are you going to stop being a pussy and tell the man you're in love

with him?."

"I never said…"

"Cut the crap. If you want this to work at least one of you needs to be emotionally unconstipated."

"And when did you become so consistently emotionally NON-retarded exactly?" Cass shoots back. "Because this is new, to my recollection."

"Blame it on Pepper. I'm growing as a person. You need to tell him." Tony pulls a bottle out of the wine chiller against the kitchenette wall. "Here we go. Prepare to have your teeth rattled – metaphorically speaking."

"Hmmmph. The rest of my life's been thrown in the blender the last few weeks. Seems only appropriate to do it to my taste buds." Cass takes the glass and sniffs carefully, gently swirling the liquid. "Brandon already knows that I love him. To make matters worse I'm beginning to suspect that he knew how I felt before I did."

Tony shakes his head. "If he did know for sure, he wouldn't have panicked when you confirmed it."

Cass blinks at that. "How did you know that he..."

"He did, didn't he? Assuming that you actually SAID it." Cass is still looking at him like he's got a third head. "Fine. When we first got here, Jarvis informed us that you were both suffering from 'a source of stress on your interpersonal dynamic.' Quote unquote. Leave it to a computer to take all the passion out of a good fight." Tony shrugs. "Considering everything that's been going on, there aren't a lot of new sources of interpersonal stress for you to be under. Of course, I postulated that theory before I knew about the kid."

"I did tell him, yeah." Cass finally acknowledges after considering this. "Though in defense of my own intelligence, I also called him a stubborn, nearsighted ASS in the same sentence."

"Touching. Ten points for delivery." Tony sighs. "You showing your hand that way probably launched him into his nightmare situation.

"My loving him is his nightmare?" Cass asks a little abruptly, the words harsh. "Thanks so much for that reassurance."

Tony makes a sympathetic noise but continues, "You're looking from your side, Tidwell. To understand his reaction you have to look at it from HIS. If he's already decided that got to leave – which you indicated earlier - and he's in love with YOU, then your lack of reciprocation up until today was probably a relief. It meant the only heart he had to cope with breaking when he took off was HIS."

Cass just stares at him, but Tony isn't finished. "You said he's been a real pain in the ass lately, yes? Like he's trying to piss you off?"

She nods.

"And they said at the club that he's more and more withdrawn in recent months yes? Isolating himself from you and the rest of the group?"

"What's your point?"

"Has it occurred to you that all of the above might have been deliberate - an attempt to coerce you all into disconnecting from him in the least painful way possible? By making you all but relieved to see him go?"

"I repeat: when did you become emotionally un-retarded?"

Tony's lips quirk, and he raises his glass to her. "I repeat: I blame Pepper, entirely." Cass has already been through this discussion once today, from the inside. She should be able to recognize the same scene from the outside.

She clearly does. "He was TRYING to make me dump him. The little SHIT." Well except the one moment when he'd called her on their long standing little dance of fake-non-attachment. The one time his mask had apparently slipped.

The fury in him when he'd ripped away the niceties made her wonder if he really wanted her to hate him or just wanted to want it.

Tony shrugs. "Likely. Though it's hard to say anything for certain right now. You're both hurt, and in your respective corners to lick your wounds. It's probably going to be a few days before you can talk about this rationally...perhaps about anything rationally. So give it a few days. It's not going to kill anyone. And then hopefully you both can sit down minus the bullshit and hammer out an understanding that you're both willing to live with."

Cass nods at that. "Assuming he agrees to stay put that long, Tony. Which he damn well might not. He's been actively burning all his bridges. Or trying to at least."

"Yes, but will it work as well if he knows that you know that he's doing it?"

Cass shrugs a little. "It'll slow him down at least. Problem is, there's more to it than just that. I think that he honestly believes everyone - me, Pepper, Lily – even you - will be safer if he and the munchkin just get the hell out of dodge. And granted I don't know much about Bella yet – but her resources thus far are impressive."

"Not as impressive as mine. And Pepper was willing to give up sex forever because she thought she'd gotten Tanner into this. I'm telling you, Brandon's not acting rationally right now, Tidwell, no matter how good he may be at pretending otherwise. You've got to force him to hold his horses until that changes."

"And how do you suggest I do THAT?" she asks, frustrated. "Smart mouthed comments about handcuffs aside, he's going to go if he decides that's the best option. He's beat black and blue already. I can't very well sit on him just because I disagree with him."

Tony considers the issue a moment. Then his eyes light and his head tilts to one side. "Have you considered the merits of kidnapping his nearest and dearest?"

Cass stares at him, mouth agape. Tony just grins and pulls out his cell phone.

"Pep, it's me. Don't talk - just listen. Give one or two word answers. Are you and Tanner going to see his daughter?"

There's a long pause, then a cautiously stated, "Yes."

"Do you think you could convince him to move her someplace that is probably a hell of a lot safer than her current location? "

More silence. Then, "I could try."

"Make it happen. If Tanner's being muleheaded, go to the bathroom and text me. I'll call Happy and he can provide some extra motivation. Threatening looking lurkers can work quite efficiently for this sort of thing."

"Are you SURE you want to do this?"

"Yes. I'll add it to my decade's worth of penance."

There's a pause then, and Tony can almost hear Pepper's internal debate before she speaks, her voice heavy with scripted annoyance. "Fine. Reschedule the deadline for next month. Just don't expect the Board to like it much."

"We rule the world."

"You only wish. And yes - your blue tie is still hanging from the bathroom door. Where it's always hanging."

"Sounds kinky. Talk to you soon, babe." Tony hangs up his cell phone and looks at Cass triumphantly. "Okay, so what do little girls like to do?

Cass shakes her head. "You are EVIL," she says in disbelief.

"No, just very used to getting my own way. And seriously, once we get the kid here, what do we do with her to keep her happy? Unless she's a grease money or a sharpshooter, I don't have much to entertain our latest guest."

Cass snorts. "You have a pool and a movie theatre IN YOUR HOUSE, Stark. Considering where I'm guessing she grew up, all you're going to have to do is turn on the soundtrack and she's going to feel like she stepped onto the set of Annie. Though if you don't want her running too amuck some art supplies and age appropriate games would probably be good."

"Jarvis..."

"Web searching and ordering as we speak, Sir. Shall I assume you want a wide variety?"

"Affirmative." Tony looks to Cass and grins. "On the bright side I have a large stock of Mac and Cheese and cereal in my pantry, and Pepper cooks like she's being stalked by a dietician, so for kid appropriate food we're probably already set."

Cass just shakes her head. "This is hugely ethically questionable. You are aware we're essentially hijacking his kid, right?"

Tony just waves a hand, dismissing any concerns she's about to raise. "Bah. Blackmail, Tidwell. This is emotional BLACKMAIL. How are you going to take advantage of this if you can't even get your terms straight?"

"He's going to see right through this."

"Eventually he might – doesn't mean that this option's still not the best for everyone. And in the meantime, you're not playing him any more than he's already played you. He can't call you on it without looking like a total hypocrite."

"You really think it's that simple?"

"Simple, no. But appropriate. After all he's the one who shifted the rules. He'll have to live with you using them for now. It may be a dirty pool but he's the one who racked up the initial game." Tony tilts his head, "Out of curiosity – before the two of you became whatever the fuck you technically are, did you ever sit down and draw up a relationship slash D/s contract?"

"Sort of. We did write a few things on a paper after that first night… but I have no idea where it is anymore and even if I did it's HUGELY in need of review."

Tony nods. "Then I strongly suggest that if you manage to talk things out that you get it updated. And this time add a fucking 'lie of omission' clause. Because the lack of one has seriously kicked both of your asses." Tony collects the goblet from her, and motions back toward the stairs. "Now come on and help me figure out what room to put the rugrat in before they get back."

"So group therapy is over?"

"Yup. Thank God. Dr Phil has now left the building."

00oo00oo00oo

"Papai - you're back, I missed you! I missed you!" Lily Tanner is tall for her age, but also rail thin. Bright eyes gleam out of a small but intense little face. The child wears a pair of bright blue fuzzy pajamas with a penguin emblazed on the chest.

"Sim a papá é repouso. I missed you too menina." Brandon carefully sets his bags on a weathered kitchen table. His honest delight at seeing his daughter doesn't keep him from wincing softly when she throws her arms spontaneously around his waist.

He draws a deep breath and then carefully peels her arms away from his middle. "Careful Pouca Flor. Não tão áspero."

Lily looks, up alarmed. "Papai, you're HURT. What happened to your face?"

"Nothing to fret about, Lily-Girl. Just a few bruises. Your Papai will be as right as rain in just a few days." Brandon's voice is reassuring and he stoops just enough to kiss his daughter's forehead. It doesn't stop the child from looking as skeptical as Pepper feels about the particular comment, but then she's spent the last hour and a half watching Brandon grow paler and paler - not to mention more withdrawn in the wake of their last conversation.

"Who did it? Was it a fight? Did you beat them up? I'll kick them when I see them...direito na canela!" The child carries on in an indignant warble of what Pepper assumes is Portuguese.

'This,' she silently acknowledges, 'this is what has fueled Brandon since I met him.' A strange lump forms in her throat. She doesn't know quite how to feel about that. While she knows Brandon is an adult who made his own choices, his story keeps leading her back to Derek. To uncomfortable 'what ifs'...

What if she'd been as desperate as Brandon. Would she have been able to make the same kind of decisions...? As stressful as caring for her cousin had been at times she'd never had NO resources... Never truly felt like she was failing in her promise to protect him....

"Lily-girl, I said I'm fine. So just stop worrying. Now turn around, I want to introduce you to someone."

Pepper, who'd been standing back until that statement, shakes herself out of her brooding and kneels to the floor, instinctively putting herself at Lily's eye level and extending a hand. "Hello. My name is Virginia, Lily, but everybody calls me Pepper. I'm a friend of your Dad's"

"Pimenta?" Lily raises an eyebrow at that. "People call you the stuff you put on food?"

Pepper smiles at that, debates explaining for a moment, then shrugs; a white lie is easier. "It is kind of funny, isn't it? I think it's probably because I have so many of these..." She taps her forearm gently, indicating her freckles. "It's certainly better than them calling me Jalepeno."

Lily giggles at that. "Sim. Eu tenho freckles demasiado. "

"English please, sweetie. Pepper doesn't speak Portuguese like you and I do."

The little girls colors then nods at Pepper. "Sorry. I have freckles too...though not as many as you do. Papai calls me Pouca Flor - little flower - instead." She shoots a sly look at her father. "I'm five though. So it should be Flor gigantesca now." She raises one hand above her head to demonstrate, then giggles again.

Brandon snorts - his next sentence deadpan. "Yes. Because you're as tall as a mountain. I clearly need to tell Rosa to stop feeding you."

"Papai..." The child's voice is heavy with amused affection.

"Nothing but bread and water...until you're six at least."

Pepper laughs. "I think that's a bit harsh...maybe she could also eat soup?"

Lily grins, her earlier worry about her father forgotten - or at least not as acute - though Pepper does notice the way the child takes his hand and leads him over to the couch in the living room, pushing him down onto the cushion gently. "Sit, Papai. And rest. Do you want milk, water or juice, Pepper?"

"Hey, what about me? Does Rosa have any coffee on?"

Lily clucks at her father. "Rosa says you drink too much of that already."

"What Rosa doesn't know won't hurt her. "

"I heard that homem novo," comes a voice from the kitchen. Pepper looks up from her spot by the window to see a petite, dark colored woman in her late fifties approaching. She stops directly in front of Brandon.

"Dios. Great God in heaven, what happened to YOU...?!"

"I'm fine, Tia. Just an attempted robbery at my apartment like I said when I called earlier. I interrupted the men who were breaking in and they didn't like it much."

Rosa looks less than convinced. She looks and Lily than at Brandon than back at Lily again. "Mmmhm. Menina why don't you get yourself a snack...there's milk and cookies laid out in the kitchen..."

"But Papai just got here..."

"And he'll come and join you for a snack in a minute. Scoot Lillabeth. Don't make me ask you again."

Lily sulks for a moment but then moves to comply.

The child no sooner passes through the doorway then Rosa launches into a rapidfire interrogation of the man on the couch in her native tongue. Pepper doesn't catch much of it, but she does hear the word, Bella at least once, and also, "You have nothing WORTH stealing at that apartment..."

Brandon answers each question calmly, though with a clearly growing frustration.

"One word. POLICIA, Brandon." The woman finally pronounces. "I am sick to my soul of watching you make excuses for that woman. She was a good girl once, yes. Now - nada mas um diabo."

"You know I can't do that. And why. Please keep your voice down. Bella's still her mother, and Lily can hear you."

"You think she doesn't know?! Two years she lived with that woman before the courts finally saw sense!" Rosa throws her hands up in disgust.

"Look, I know that me going to school has taken a little longer than we expected when this started, but I'm finally ALMOST finished...and I'll happily pay you for watching Lily...as I've offered a thousand times."

"Bah. I have nothing but time in the world. You try and pay me, I throw the money back in your face. Tolo Teimoso. I already buried your Mama, Brandon ... and then Jared too soon."

She pokes his chest gently with a finger. "I don't wanna end up at your funeral...You're like my own son. You know that."

Rosa's about to launch into diatribe monologue when she finally catches sight of Pepper. Than her eyes widen slightly "Mãe santamente . You brought your WOMAN with you..."

It takes Pepper a moment to process the "your" stuck in front of "woman," and when she does she starts a stuttered explanation of "just friends."

Brandon is equally horrified. "O no. no. Isto não é Cassie. Pepper just offered me a ride because of my pain medication..."

"Brandon's actually been staying with my boss at his house. Clearly there's been safety issues with his apartment and that's not a problem at Mr. Stark's house..." Pepper trails off, and shakes her head. "Truthfully, I got worried when I couldn't get a hold of Brandon, and I more or less ordered Mr. Stark to do something about it."

"Which if you know Pepper or her boss actually makes sense." Brandon interjects.

Pepper shots him a look, but sees an opportunity to good to miss. "As a matter of fact, Mr. Stark has offered Brandon and Lily BOTH a place to stay for the next couple of weeks. Until Brandon's healed up some. Somewhere with high security where Belle won't be able to reach either of them."

Pepper's more than ready for the way Brandon IMMEDIATELY starts to object. "You can't really be ready to argue with me over this after everything that's already happened. Things have clearly been escalating and you're in no kind of condition to skip town, ESPECIALLY with a child in tow. Not to mention, I only just realized that my being here is probably an exceptionally bad idea, all things considered." Pepper shrugs apologetically. "I should have been thinking before volunteering to come up here with you."

"Ginny that's just not..."

Rosa interjects. "He accepts."

Brandon whirls, "Rosa..."

"The last 3 nights, Brandon, the same car keeps driving past the house."

Pepper just watches Brandon. The choice is his to make. Or rather, the right conclusion is his to come to in his own time. There's really only one right answer.

He remains silent for a long moment than sighs very deeply. "All right then. Rosa go pack what you need. I'll take care of Lily's things."

"Pack? What makes you think I'm going to be driven from my home?" Rosa's stance doesn't become confrontational, exactly, but it does become rather...immoveable. "If Lily is with you, no one is going to care about me."

"And what if they force their way in here Rosa, asking questions?"

Pepper responds to that question. "Then she can either say truthfully she doesn't know the address or she can tell them you and Lily are at Tony Stark's private residence. Do your really think they're likely to try and storm the home of IRONMAN?"

"What if they do?"

"Then they're storming the home of IRONMAN and they're going to get the beating they deserve before the police show up to drag their sorry...rears...to jail."

Rosa nods her approval. "I like this plan." She looks at Pepper, then point to Brandon. "Stubborn here looks like shit. Can you and your Mr. Stark make sure he slows down long enough to heal up? Or do I need to give you my cell phone number so *I* can call and lecture him?"

Brandon groans under his breath, "Why does every woman I know seem to think they've got the right to chew out my ass?"

Pepper ignores this as irrelevant. Once he's in a better state of mind, Brandon will start making thoughtful decisions instead of off the cuff ones. "I think you'd better give me you phone number. Mr. Stark is more bark than bite."

Brandon reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his own wallet, extracting several hundred dollars bills and thrusting them in his Ex-Nanny's direction. "This is in case you need to get out fast and find a hotel room or hiding place, and you ARE going to take it, or so help me Rosa...I'll..." He pauses, for a moment, trying to find a credible threat that might actually be intimidating, but the truth was Brandon Tanner was and always had been a pushover for the women in his life, and judging by Rosa's expression, she knows it.

"And I'll give you a direct line through to the house," Pepper offers. "Though I suspect we would be your second call, after one to the police."

Rosa nods. "If Bella wants to try and screw with me...you better believe it. Meanwhile you just focus on getting better, Brandon. Maybe after a few days of quiet with Lily close, you'll finally hear SENSE..."

Brandon's eyes grow hooded at that but it doesn't stop him from stepping forward to hug the woman goodbye. "I'll send you word, Tia, from wherever we end up when this is over." He tells her gruffly.

"Papai!" Lily calls from the kitchen. "I'm going to eat your cookies if you don't hurry up!"

"Go have cookies with your daughter and explain to her what's going to happen. I'll go downstairs and let Happy know what's going on."

Brandon nods gruffly. "When you get back we'll likely be in Lily's room packing her things." He checks his watch, frowns and stands up, "As late as it is she'll likely crash in the limo."

"Sure, 'Papai.' Something tells me she's going to be excited enough to stay up for at least a little bit longer than that."

"It's nearly 10, Pepper. she's usually hours ago in bed."

Pepper shrugs. "We'll see. I admit I don't have a lot of experience with children. However, I do have a lot of experience with an amped up Tony Stark, and I've always assumed that experience with one is experience with another."

Brandon smiles in spite of himself. "Are you really sure you want to spend the next few days with TWO near toddlers?"

"Well, as long as they play nicely together..." Pepper lets the sentence die off. "You: pack up your daughter."

"Yes, Ma'am. On it as soon as I consume the ordered Fig Newtons."

Pepper hid a smile as she politely traded numbers with Rosa and left to go inform Happy that remarkably little persuasion had been needed to set Tony's plan into motion.

Tony...maybe he could fly. But she could totally herd cats if she wanted.


	24. Chapter 23

Happy's behavior strikes Tony as needlessly cautious as the other man comes into view as Tony trots down the stairs to the garage. It's enough to make him pick up his speed and dial in his number to the shop without noticing.

"What's up -"

"Shhh."

Tony's a little surprised to be hushed by his bodyguard - Pepper would shush him in a heartbeat, but other people didn't normally dare unless he was talking during the last seconds of a big game - so he hushes. The easy answer is that someone has fallen asleep on the way home...though, considering who's in the car, it could just as well be that EVERYONE fell asleep on the way home.

"What's -"

It's Tony's turn to hush someone as Cass comes into the garage behind him.

He points to the car; in the back seat Brandon Tanner and his daughter are both asleep – the younger Tanner leaned up against the older, softly snoring.

Lily Tanner is...cute. Or Tony figures that's the closest word.

She's petite - dark haired, tan skinned and lightly freckled across the bridge of her nose. Her hair is currently pulled back in two low dangling pigtails and there's a small stuffed – otter? - draped across her lap.

"They both went out like twin lights about twenty minutes ago," Happy softly explains as he eases the front passenger door open. "Haven't as much as moved since."

"And Pepper?"

Pepper climbs out of the car with a hand from Happy. "'Pepper' has her phone back," she replies as she taps urgently at the small keyboard without looking up. "You forgot to tell people that I'm on leave." Without looking up, she jerks the phone away when Tony reaches for it. "Will you at least let me finish this memo before you start getting grabby?"

Tony scowls. "How in hell is that thing still working? There shouldn't have been enough juice left in the battery I gave you for it to have lasted this long."

"She hijacked the battery from my BlackBerry, Sir - they're the same model, remember?" Happy informs him a little forlornly. "I tried to get it back but she threatened to bite my hand if I didn't leave her alone. I wasn't taking any chances."

Pepper glances up as she finishes the memo about how she's going to be unreachable for the next several days, and reachable during only certain hours after that. "That is a blatant over exaggeration, Happy. I only threatened to hide your bi-monthly paycheck. And I wasn't serious. Much."

"Potts…" Tony's voice is heavy with exasperation "Don't you have better things to do then bully your co-workers?"

"First of all, you're the one who gave me a phone in case I needed one while we were out. Which as it turns out, I did, since you railroaded me in to this 'kidnapping' gig of yours. Secondly, the moment I turned said phone on, it started screaming at me about all the messages that'd been left. I thought you might appreciate it if I kept it from doing so again once you're in charge of it again."

Still, it's with great reluctance that Pepper turns the phone off and gives Happy back his battery.

Tony nods, deciding to cede the argument for now at least. He sighs and motions toward the stairway. "Come on then...it's late. Let's just focus on getting everyone settled upstairs."

Pepper nods. "Bags are in the trunk. Where exactly are you putting Brandon and Lily tonight?

"We set up Lily's room next to Cass and Brandon's."

Pepper raises a brow. "Are you sure Brandon's going to be comfortable with sharing with Cass with his daughter in the house?"

Tony blinks. That the subject might be an issue clearly hadn't occurred to him. "Uhmm… Tidwell?"

Cass just shrugs when Tony looks to her. "We're about to find out. By the way, Stark -way to take the lead like a man, there…" she teases as she eases over to the car. Her voice is too quiet to carry to where Pepper and Tony are standing, but it has quick results. There's a low moan from inside the car, then a higher one, indicating that both the car's passengers have been woken up.

"Papai?" Lily's voice is the first to speak. "Are we here?"

"Sim Menina." Brandon's voice is reassuring. Still his voice is a little shaky from pain and drowsiness both. "This is where we're going to be staying for a few days."

Lily turns her gaze on Cassie then. "Oi...I mean hello." she corrects herself softly, pulling herself up into a sitting position.

Woman and child study each other for a long curious moment, before the girl extends her hand with a shy half smile. "Hi. I'm Lily Elizabeth Tanner. Nice to meet you."

"Hello," Cass replies quietly, taking the offered shake. "I know it's late, but my name is Cass Tidwell, and I'm a… friend of your papai's. That's Tony over there," Cass points and Tony waves, "… and we thought that we'd come down to help with the bags and show you where you get to sleep tonight."

Lily nods at that, still a little bit shy. "All right."

Brandon shifts a little, kissing his daughter on the temple. "Great use of your manners there." He jostles her gently. "Now that you've been introduced properly, get up and out of the car, okay, before you squash me flat..."

"Papai..." Lily's laugh is chiding. "I'm not THAT heavy."

"Says who…? You look like you've grown an inch since the last time I saw you, Lilybeth. I think that I need to start tying heavy books to the top of your head whenever I visit to stop you from growing so fast."

"Good luck with that," Cass murmurs under her breath, smiling slightly as she rises to her feet to allow first Lily than Brandon to get out. "I'm five foot eleven, and my father tried the same thing."

Lily lets out a little guffaw at that claim, shooting Cass a grin. "She's funny Papai."

"Normally yes. Though she tends to get grumpy too – especially when she has too much coffee. We have that in common…" Brandon draws a deep breath, twisting his legs to hang out the car door. Then he exhales, before pushing himself with a low grunt to his feet.

Once he's upright her turns to Tony. "Stark...is there a room in this place with both a bed and a couch or a cot in it? This house is huge and I want Lily to be able to find me easily if she wakes in the night."

"There's only one bedroom in the house that currently has a couch." Tony replies, "However you don't want to sleep there -it's mine. As for a cot…" He looks at Pepper and shrugs. "We may have one of those downstairs, but I have no clue where it's been stored."

"Don't worry, Papai. I can sleep on the floor if I need to," Lily speaks up. "We packed my sleeping bag and brought it with us, remember?"

Brandon smoothes a hand over the dark head attached to his hip. "It'll be okay Menina…that won't be necessary. I'm sure that Mr. Stark has plenty of extra pillows and blankets in all of the rooms. I'll make myself a nice comfortable palette."

Cass is turning a lovely shade of puce. "Brandon." It's a testament to her self control that her voice remains level, and probably to her dedication to not embarrassing him in front of his child. "You were barely able to get out of the car without help. How do you think you're going to feel tomorrow after a night on a stone floor?"

Lily tugs on Brandon's shirt. "I could just sleep in the bathtub like I used to when Mama's sleep friends stayed overnight, Papai."

Uncomfortable silence falls, until Lily leans forward then and whispers something in Portuguese into his ear that makes Brandon blink. Then he shakes his head. "No, no...there aren't cars in his living room, Lily. This is just his workshop Mr Stark builds things for his job. The actual house is upstairs – that's where we'll both be sleeping."

"Workshop?" Lily's eyes widen... "You mean like where you make toys and stuff…kinda like Santa Claus has?" She turns a speculative eye upon Tony, then turns back and surveys the shop as if expecting to find reindeer grazing through the off-season.

Pepper's a little surprised by the smile that spreads over Tony's face at the question.

"I even have my own elves." He motions with his hand and Dummy and Butterfingers come rolling out of a corner where they'd been - supposedly - in sleep mode.

Lily watches the 'bots with interest – and if they had eyes, Pepper would say the 'bots return the favor - but then she turns her gaze back to Tony critically. "But your hair is black – plus you're not fat enough to REALLY be Santa."

Cass lets out a snort, and Tony raises one eyebrow. "Does that mean you don't want to help me make toys tomorrow?" He crouches down so they're eye to eye. "We can make just about anything down here you can imagine, you know-"

"Stark..."

" – as long as your Papai approves, of course, " Tony finishes smoothly. "I was thinking a music box with a dancer or a little robot that can walk. That sort of thing. I figure that you can get up tomorrow, have breakfast and maybe play some board games with Cass and Pepper and then help me out down here while your Dad gets a few extra hours of sleep..."

"Papai, can I?" Lilly swings around and turns puppy dog eyes on her father. "Please? I won't even mind sleeping in the bathtub."

"You're not sleeping in a bathtub, Menina," Brandon replies, his voice rough. "Okay, okay. Fine. Let's start by seeing this room that you two masterminded and we'll make our decisions from there." He heads for the elevator leading to the main floor, his daughter in tow.

Cass leans in toward Tony, raising an eyebrow. "Stark O'Claus, Nos...? Isn't that a little…I don't know, jolly for you?"

He shrugs. "Don't take this in some kind of creepy old man way, but little girls are just really young women. And with the occasional exception," he gestures to both Cass and Pepper when they both open their mouths to object, "I figured women out a long time ago." He shrugs again. "It'll give her something to look forward too AND it's something to keep her occupied tomorrow."

He's saved from two no doubt scathing replies when the elevator doors chime open and Lily exclaims, "OOOOOOOOhhhhhhhh. Look, Papai! A kitty!"

Pepper's eyes widen, and she hurries over to check out Tuck, who not only has already had a rough day, what with the rat attack and all, but has also apparently been trapped in the elevator for an unknown amount of time. However, what she finds upon arrival is not an animal in any kind of distress but instead one very content, demented pirate cat, purring away like a chainsaw as Lily very carefully scratches under his chin with a single finger.

"Jarvis?" she asks. "How long has he been in here?"

"Perhaps ten minutes, Ms Potts. I've opened the doors several times to allow your pet to roam the first two stories, but he seems to have taken a liking to the elevator itself more than any other room in the house. I have been unable to determine why exactly…"

Tuck, turns to the shiny metal door and begins rubbing his face against his own reflection, purring furiously.

"Well that answers, that, seems he's in love, Ms. Potts," Tony murmurs in Pepper's ear. "No wonder I like him so much."

Lily giggles. "Rosa's cat Barney does the same thing on the 'fridgerator.' Tia says he thinks that it's a lady cat…"

"Yes, you always have been something of a tom cat." Pepper looks at Tony from under her eyelashes before getting into the elevator. "Lily, this is Tuck. He loves to play with laser pointers, toy mice and string."

"Is he allowed to sleep up on the beds?" Lily makes this inquiry more than a little bit hopefully.

"Yes. In fact, he loves to sleep on beds." But Pepper wonders if he'll STAY. Having company would probably do a lot to put Lily at ease. And having Brandon in his own bed would do a lot to put Cass' mind at rest.

It's preferable to him on the floor or a cot definitely.

She stops Tony before he can step inside as well and put the elevator into motion. "Will you go get the cat treats? Or a can of wet cat food. Maybe we can bribe him to stay with her tonight," she says very softly so Lily won't hear.

Tony smiles, "Sure. Though the other option, Pep, is to simply CLOSE the door to all the bedrooms BUT Lily's tonight."

He's quite sure he and Pepper can survive one night without Pepper's furry heating pad.

Brandon, meanwhile, is speaking his own opinion on the subject of Tucker up on the bed. "Lily, I'm sorry but I don't have my allergy medicine with me. I'll need to buy some tomorrow. In the meantime if *I* sleep in the same room all with a cat then I really WON'T be able to breathe in the morning."

Cass knowing an opportunity when she sees one, cuts into Brandon's monologue smoothly. "Well if Lily doesn't mind, Brandon, you can always just share the bed in my room tonight so she can keep the fuzzball with her."

"You guys are sleep-friends?" Lily asks, interested, which makes Brandon choke a little. Then Cass makes an aborted sound when Lily says, "But he snores."

"So did my sister growing up, Lily. It won't bother me."

"Are you sure?" But Lily's eyes are already straying back to Tuck who is winding around various ankles, including hers. "He's really loud some times. I have to put a pillow over my head."

"As long as he promises not to steal all the blankets? Absolutely."

"Papai?"

"Let's wait until you see the room before we make any decisions, Menina."

"All right." Then... "I still need my medicine before bed, Daddy. Remember?"

Brandon nods and looks to Pepper, scrupulously avoiding either of the other adults for the time being. "Do you have some crackers or fruit available, Ginny? She gets nauseous if she takes her Zyrtec on an empty stomach."

"We have plenty. What kind of fruit is your favorite?" Tony asks, betting that after Pepper's extreme shopping trip they'll have it on hand.

"Anything but strawberries are good. They make me itchy." Lily shrugs. "Though I like oranges or grapes the best."

Tony nods. "Okay then. Maybe while Pepper finds you a snack you can help Cass and I get Pepper and your Papai's bedtime medicine ready too…."

"I don't need -" Pepper starts, before Tony slides an arm around her waist and squeezes.

"You do need to help set a good example, though," he murmurs in her ear. "If you take yours without complaint than Brandon will have to take his as well or risk a lecture from both Cass AND his daughter…"

"You will soooo pay for this," she whispers back sweetly, eyes taking on a dangerous gleam.

"Not tonight," he murmurs back with a smile. "Though I do look forward to it. Someone is going to sleep very well tonight after all this running around today."

Hell, Tony acknowledges, for that matter so will he.

00oo00oo00oo

Brandon doesn't even bother to protest the way that he's been subtly strong armed into taking his medication - either because he's so exhausted or because he hurts too much to refuse the relief at present. Instead he accepts the pills and a glass of juice, letting Pepper provide Lily with a snack before starting off again down the hallway towards the room that Cass and Tony had prepared.

Lily freezes in her tracks when Tony flips on the lights. "Hannah Montana," she says with hushed reverence.

The Disney teeny bopper is everywhere - including the posters on the wall and the bed sheets. The room is practically oozing in its perkiness. Tony shrugs when Pepper looks at him with a raised brow. "What? Jarvis says she's the latest thing. And if the goal is for her to want to stay in here at night, it made sense to go with it. I figured it'd be good for here and they can take it all with them when they go."

"Get thee back Satan," Brandon just groans softly, making an aborted sign of the cross on his chest.

Cass snorts, but apparently in agreement. "This at least is phase she *should* grow out of," she murmurs as Lily examines the room carefully, squealing with each new piece of merchandise. "and if she's anywhere near as stubborn as you are then the ones in her teenage years should get interesting…."

"You're one to talk. Stark, for the record I owe you for this," Brandon informs him deadpan. He doesn't look particularly grateful.

"Don't worry about it. I was thinking pretty much the same thing when I ordered this stuff." Tony sounds friendly enough, but he's still smirking. Pepper elbows him in the side.

Brandon mutters something back in Portuguese that earns him a raised eyebrow from Cass. "I don't think that's anatomically possible, Tanner…" She pitches her voice toward Lily. "So what do you think, kiddo, will this be okay for sleeping tonight?"

Lily looks around the room, turns the nightlight on and off several times, then looks at her father. "You're right next door?"

"Yes, Menina. And if you need anything you can just come and wake me."

Cass nods in agreement, "Just come knock on our door."

This reassurance seems to settle things for the child, because she nods a little, walking over to stand in front of her father. She hugs him again – careful this time of his ribs.

"Brave girl. Amo-o, Menina." Brandon leans forward to kiss her forehead. "Now - do your remember which bag we put your bathroom stuff in? Because you need to brush your teeth before bed."

Lily nods...then tilts her head. "What about you? We didn't pack any of YOUR things at Rosa's."

Brandon considers this a moment than shrugs, "I have clothes here that will work for sleeping tonight, and tomorrow I'll either go back to my apartment to get few things, or you and I will go out shopping."

"No need Brandy. We ordered you a couple of new t-shirts, a clean set of jeans and a couple of other items when we got all this." Her smile is wry, "There might even be tennis shoes with your name on them in the other room."

"Brandy?" The little girl looks at Cass curiously. "I thought Auntie Rosa said only family – her and Jared and Grandma Lizzy - got to call Papai that."

"I was friends with Jared too," Cass eventually says.

"Okay." Lily looks around the room again, then back at Brandon. "You're going to tuck me in?"

"Sim Menina. Go get brushed and we'll do a story then lights out."

The girl considers this offer before looking at down at the bags sitting on the foot of the bed. "Could I listen to the story you brought me on CD with my new book instead?"

Brandon looks upward. "Jarvis?"

"Affirmative. You need only provide me with the disk, Mr Tanner. I have speakers in every room in the house."

Lily jumps a little, eyes wide as she looks over at Tony. "Your house TALKS?" she asks with a shakily exhaled breath.

Tony crouches down to meet Lily eye to eye. "That's Jarvis. He's a computer here in the house. Mostly he helps me with things in my workshop, but he does other things too. For instance, he can turn the lights on and off, and he can play CDs and DVDs." Tony looks at the little girl carefully. "Jarvis is also in charge of security around here. He watches the outside of the house, and if you want your dad but don't want to get out of bed, all you have to do is ask Jarvis to wake him up."

"Cooooooooooooool," is Lily's reply, after considering this for several seconds. "It's kinda like the house on the Jetsons, isn't it Papai?"

Brandon snorts a little, but does nod his head. "Sort of yes." He braces himself with one hand on the floor and makes an attempt to climb to his feet, wobbling a little.

"Papai?" The child reaches out toward him anxiously.

"It's...I'm fine, Lilybeth. Just a little tired.."

Cass, snorts. "All right time for both you and your dad to get ready for bed."

"Well, if you two don't need anything else, then I think it's time Pepper get tucked in as well." Tony wraps an arm around Pepper's shoulders.

"Sleep well," Cass and Brandon unintentionally simultaneously reply.

Tony smiles and gently leads Pepper out of the room.

0oo00oo00oo

"Jarvis," he instructs as they leave the trio behind. "Keep an ear out tonight for our latest little guest. If Brandon and Cass don't respond to her for any reason, wake me up right away."

"Care to guess whether father or daughter will pass out first?" Pepper asks in a softly amused voice as they walk, his arm around her waist and her hip bumping into his comfortably as they make their way to the master suite..

Tony chuckles, "Right now I'm guessing the odds are an even 50-50."

"And what do you think my odds of falling asleep that quickly are?" she asks, just a tad bit suggestively.

Tony glances over, eyebrows raised high. "On any other night? I'd say they'd be pretty skimpy. But tonight I'd say you're in luck if you're looking for some quick shut eye." Tony closes the bedroom door behind them. "You've been tromping all over creation this afternoon."

Pepper yawns. "I AM tired," she admits. "But unfortunately I also need to go back down to the basement. I want to grab actual pajamas since we have guests in the house and my other pair is dirty at the moment. Not to mention while Brandon and I were out at the store today I bought you a couple sets of rat traps."

"Why don't we leave the traps for tomorrow? Though I appreciate the thought…" He scratches his chin, "You know, maybe what I'll end up making tomorrow is a prototype cat bot for Lily."

Pepper raises a brow. "And what about pajamas, Stark? In case you forgot you have a habit of kicking of the blankets when you sleep, and the last few nights it's gotten damn cold in here."

"I'll help keep you warm," Tony promises, with faux innocence.

"I thought you just said I was supposed to go to sleep." Pepper looks at him over her shoulder. "BUT, I suppose you have more than enough clothes up here...if you don't mind my borrowing a sweatshirt…"

"Mi Closet Es Su Closet," Tony agrees affably.

Pepper snorts as she goes into his closet and liberates a lightweight MIT Sweatshirt and a pair of silk boxers.

"Silk. Excellent choice." Tony himself grabs a pair of sweatpants. "Want a second opinion on your stitches?" he asks as she heads towards the bathroom.

"No, but I'd take another back rub before we pass out..." she calls back over her shoulder sweetly.

"Hmmm.... You're going to have to let me think about that one." Tony strips off his shirt with a stretch and lets out a deep sigh. It seems like it was an entire day ago since they'd had their afternoon nuzzle 'n nap.

Pepper nods, then looks down at her watch and blinks, "Good Lord...has it really only been six hours since we left my place? It feels like twice that...though I suppose with Brandon's errands and then packing up Lily...." She shakes her head.

"Adrenaline," Tony supplies. "Plus probably the shock of finding out about Tanner's kid. I certainly didn't see THAT one coming..."

"I don't think anyone did." Pepper acknowledges wryly, "However, looking back on the whole situation now, it does make a strange sort of sense." There's a sound of running water as Pepper washes her face.

"How so?" Tony comes to lean on the door frame, voice a little curious.

Pepper shrugs. "It just...fits somehow with who he is. Explains certain things that I always wondered about in terms of his choice of profession. Brandon's too competent a masseuse to have gotten into the business just to use it as a cover." She shrugs. "He LIKES his job...and I'm not even talking about the illegal part. "

She grimaces a little. "God, I can't imagine what it must be like for him at the moment …to have a kid that needs to be fed and have to change professions in this economy...Not to mention how would you feel if you had no health insurance and you knew you were slowly losing the use of your HANDS?"

"You have a point there," Tony admits, rubbing his hands over his face as he yawns. When his hands lower, he focuses on Pepper's ankles, then her calves...all the way up to her bare thighs until they're covered by the borrowed boxers. The sight is...pleasing...to him, in ways he can't entirely define.

Pepper continues, "I just...well...in the same position I guess I can see where I might have made similar choices...okay maybe not - but then I had the life insurance money Caroline left…and active scholarships I just had to maintain. Still.... You go a little crazy in some ways when you become a parent. It's hard to imagine what I wouldn't have been willing to do for Derek's sake."

Pepper turns off the water and dries her face. When she turns to Tony, expecting understanding on his face, she finds a distracted sort of appreciation instead. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Caroline, life insurance and scholarships, better choices," Tony says. The shirt is...less appealing, in one way. It's much too big for her frame and hides anything of anatomical interest, but still... It's his, and it's on her.

"And what - no smart comments about how I would have made a hot stripper under different circumstances?"

That much at least earns her his full attention again. He smirks, "I could have a pole installed in the bedroom. Or in the garage. I'm sure it'd be a great workout for that leg once the doctor okays it."

"How generous of you. I'll make sure to google male strip club outfits." She snorts, then deliberately sets down the washcloth on the sink and all but sashays over to stand in front of him...well, as best as she can with a slight limp anyway.

"Look at it this way, Tony...if I had been in the position Brandon was, then you and I might have met several years sooner," she murmurs, letting one finger trace lightly around the ring of metal imbedded in his chest. "And probably in a far less PG setting."

Tony can't help the thrill that shivers through him, though he does trap her hand to lay flat against his chest. "Yes. When I was a callow, chauvinistic youth who didn't see much point in spending more than a day or a week with any one woman. That sounds like it would have worked out so much better than how things DID work out." He'll take reality as it is.

Tony feels up the hem of the sweatshirt she's wearing. "If this is too long, I can get something to cut this off, Amante. Mid-riff length might be more comfortable."

Pepper groans a little as his hand snakes under for a moment to caress her belly. "Tony we need to go to SLEEP – isn't that what you keep saying?"

"Yeah." His voice is mournful. "It's a pity. Bed, Pep. I'll meet you there in a minute."

Tony presses a quick kiss to her lips before entering the bathroom to take care of his own before bed routine. Quick brush of the teeth, quick splash of water of his face and neck. Another yawn. He turns to leave, but then quickly grabs a tube of lotion from off the counter - when had Pepper had time to put anything away? - just in case she'd been serious about wanting a massage. He knows she has to be sore – even if her meds are starting to finally kick in.

When he emerges it's to find Pepper perched on the edge of her side of the bed, leaning forward just enough to drop her head so she can easily brush her hair out. The position leaves tempting spans of exposed skin at the nape of her neck.

"I really need to do this every day," she murmurs – to herself as much as him. "And I should probably get back in the habit of braiding it back every night. Well, that or it's time for me to go out and get another hair cut. If I don't, you're gonna end up eating it in your sleep at some point."

Tony thinks about that before voicing an opinion. He likes it long. It's a guy thing, he thinks. There's something about long hair that's very alluring. However, short hair makes that intriguing spot on the back of her neck much more accessible, and in the few times that she's actually had her hair short in the time he's known her, she usually takes the time to style it into a sleek cap curls in the mornings. The kind of look that makes a man's fingers itch to run through it.

It's a toss up, honestly.

"I like it fine like it is," he admits. "But I can see where it might give you headaches – that's a lot of weight atop your head."

She shrugs. "That's never really bothered me…though I suppose it might contribute to my tension headaches." She straightens, sets the brush on the bedside table, then pulls her legs up onto the mattress before flopping backwards with a soft sigh, lifting her arms above her head in a sinuous stretch. Then she flips, sprawling out contentedly on her belly.

"This another hint you want a backrub?" Tony asks in amusement, thoroughly enjoying the view.

"Just getting comfy," is Pepper's yawning reply. "That's all..." She pillows her head on both her hands.

"Sure. Mmmmhmm…and driving me nuts is just a bonus I assume?" He snorts, allowing the palm of his hand to dig in, gently, on the center of her lower back.

Pepper groans… "God that feels good." Then, " It's not my fault you're a satyr in all but the hooves, Tony…"

"I have those too – cleverly hidden in the classy designer shoes." He feels the knot atop her tailbone shift, then finally start to loosen. He leans forward to kiss her bare collarbone. "You're just one big knot, you know that? Methinks someone needs one of those ultra plush heated massage chairs."

"Don't even tempt me," Pepper murmurs. "They're awesome but way outside my budget."

She shrugs a little. "I am thinking of making a appointment with my regular doctor next week… Brandon suggested this afternnon that I might benefit from regular physical therapy and the regular use of…" she pauses, "I think he called it a 'TENS' unit."

Tony frowns at that. "Did he say for what purpose, exactly?"

Pepper yawns and nods. "Pain control due to 'partial right SCM overcontraction.'" She puts the words into quotes, " He says he can tell that it's getting worse because lately I tend to tilt my head just a little to the right. Plus I have a knot of fibrous scar tissue along my right shoulder blade that's not helping matters any."

"Scar tissue? I didn't see any surgery marks." He traces the pale skin of her upper back gently.

"You wouldn't. I just had a couple of really bad shoulder sprains from playing college level volleyball…" She grins over her shoulder at him, "Which was probably my own fault. My coach was always telling me that when I serve, I do so 'unnecessarily agressively'..." She winks, obvious not referring just to volleyball anymore..

"Not in my opinion," Tony volleys back with a similar grin. "So what position did you prefer…to play? On the team I mean"

"It varied. I had a pretty wicked serve…or so they said. But I was also tall enough to be good at guarding the net…and I wasn't the type to be easily intimated." She snickers. "Peter got me into playing, as a means of stress relief to be honest."

"How long did you play?"

"One year for fun and two years on the AA team. That was once I knew that I was good enough that I could play without fear of breaking my glasses…"

"Speaking of which…" He pokes her lightly in the ribs, "How come I've known you for years and yet I still had no clue that you have vision issues…?"

Pepper snorts. "Because I got tired of being blind and had my eyes surgically corrected as my Christmas present to myself the year that I turned twenty-five."

"Again - it's a pity. I probably would have developed a corresponding fixation. Wait a minute…twenty-five. You were already my P.A. at that point..." His eyes narrow a little, "THAT'S what you were recovering from during your 'Call me again for something other than house exploding and I'll KILL you when I get back, Tony!' diatribe?"

Her ears go a little red. "While I was a bit annoyed that you called me six times in one hour, I'm quite certain that I didn't chew you out quite THAT bad…"

Tony shrugs as he works slowly works out the knots. "Maybe not. A guy can dream though. You in that kind of temper is…memorable, usually."

Pepper chuckles softly. "Just be glad I didn't realize at the time how much of a...kick…you actually got out of being yelled at that way."

"Would you have stopped?" Tony raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure," she answers honestly. "Maybe. Hell, probably yes. I mean face it, Stark, you wrote the book on blurring the line between true sexual harassment and innocent flirting,"

"Flirting is supposed to be innocent?" Tony shoots back, deadpan.

"Not the way you usually do it," she replies. "But with me you kept it on the innocent side. Mainly, I suspect, because you had better ways to piss me off when you wanted to."

"I may have had a list yes. Not that I used it often. Doing so usually resulted in a withdrawal of our conversational foreplay…"

"Conversational WHAT…?"

"The linguistic thrust and retreat we've gotten so good at over the years, Potts. Face it, it's essentially verbal sex. And don't even get me started on how you single-handedly inspired a stiletto fetish..."

"Single-handedly?" Pepper asks with a good dose of skepticism.

"You may have had a LITTLE help," he acknowledges after a minute. "Though Cass is more into leather than footwear." He whistles, "God...you two could like rule the WORLD if you ever combined your wardrobe collections..."

"Women already rule the world, Stark. Get used to it."

Tony snorts. "Well at least you're one of the ones who doesn't try and DENY it. The whole 'weaker sex' thing some conservatives tote has always seemed like a big load of crap to me. You guys are scary as hell when you want to be."

Pepper's lips quirk. All joking aside, she knows that women are all too often overpowered by their male counterparts. But still, in this little kingdom, the power behind the throne is definitely her, and has been for a good long time now. "Just don't tempt me to use my powers for evil."

"Not EVER?" Tony pouts. "Well that's no fun at all!"

"Oh, I'll be as evil to you as I want. I was thinking of the welfare of the greater world." Pepper admits candidly.

"As long as I can occasionally get even...I think I can live with that."

"Mmmm...I thought you might see it that way." Pepper lets out a long, contented sigh. "So, you and Cass went shopping while we were gone, hm?"

"Just online..." Tony snorts. "Cass needed something to distract her. This whole thing with Brandon has involved far too much brooding on her part. She's always been at her best on the offensive. It was time to get her off of the bench and back into the game, so to speak."

Pepper snorts, "I take it she's not irreparably furious about Lily, then?"

Tony shrugs, "It looked to me like she was less pissed about him having a kid than she was with the fact she's finding about it when said kid is five." He shakes his head. "Tanner's whole deception seems a little excessive if you ask me. I mean she said herself that they've never been anywhere near what passes for a exclusive couple - so what's with the soap-opera secrecy?" He shrugs a little.

Pepper shifts a bit, making an uncomfortable sound in the back of her throat, "Yes well, be careful you don't judge things too harshly, Stark. After all, you haven't heard HIS side of the story..."

"Wasn't that YOUR job?" He raises an eyebrow.

Pepper kind of half shrugs. "I guess."

"So go on…enlighten me," he prods. "It'd help to know what the hell we're actually dealing with."

"Fine. Let's start with this. Belle is Lily's MOTHER, Tony."

Tony blinks. "And who is Belle again?"

"Likely the woman who shot me and beat up Brandon – or who controlled whoever did."

His forehead wrinkles…"And why in hell is Lily's mother trying to kill you and the father of her child?"

"Because she's a lunatic." Pepper says like it should be obvious. "Though in this case that insanity comes conveniently packaged with gang ties and a serious drug addiction. It's how Brandon ended up with custody. Now he's just trying to protect his daughter, as well as keep Cass out of the fray."

"No offense Pepper, but the best thing that Brandon could have done for Cass would have been to keep his pants zipped up in the first place..." Tony winces a little, at Pepper's chiding sound. "Don't get me wrong, Amante…the munchkin seems nice enough…but still. Tanner clearly doesn't always have the best taste in women. He should have manned up when he found out Belle was pregnant. It's not like Cass would have reamed his ass over it indefinitely."

Pepper pokes him in the chest. "People who've lived in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Tony. Or are you going to claim you've never done something you regretted while drunk? This is no different. Brandon was a sodden MESS the night that Lily was conceived from what I've gathered…"

"That doesn't excuse him from the consequences of his actions..."

Pepper snorts at the irony, "Oh he agrees with you on that, Tony - to the point of absurdity. That's EXACTLY why he's been trying to cope with all of this by himself instead of dragging his friends into 'his' mess. God forbid he might be HUMAN and entitled to a little mercy when he's in pain and he fucks up."

She sighs again, lifts her head to meet his eyes. Debates a moment how much of Brandon's privacy she can violate, before deciding she's just going to have to trust her lover to keep confidences that aren't her own. "Tony, I'm guessing Lily was conceived not long after Brandon found out that your friend Jared's cancer was back out of remission."

Tony goes very still at that, though his face remains mostly blank. She presses on, "And from what little he's actually told me about that night, he never intended to sleep with her in the first place. Brandon woke up in Belle's bed AFTER Belle gave him a shot glass of whiskey and promised him a safe spot to sleep off his grief on her COUCH. "

"Damn it," Tony finally mumbles, very softly under his breath. Pepper nods. It certainly explains Tanner's lingering trust issues.

That he trusts any woman to top him speaks very highly for his relationship with Cass.

She rests her forehead against his neck a few moments more, then says the other thing running through her mind

"Ever hear the phrase, "There but for the grace of God go I?" When he nods a little she laughs, though there's no pleasure in the sound, "Maybe I wasn't as many chapters in to the soap opera yet, but Brandon's provided one hell of a preview of where things could have ended up if something hadn't interceded. As it is, I starting to think I owe Belle a drink for shooting me."

"Tell me about it." Tony finally admits. "God, can you imagine me with a preschooler?"

Pepper snorts in spite of herself. "You are a preschooler, Stark. You would have done fine. Eventually. Having people to take care of…well it seems to WORK for you."

And it's the truth. Tony…well if she's honest Tony's flourished in the last week. She'd never considered before now that in his case, DESIRED responsibility might smooth out some of the more chaotic elements of his personality.

And yet somehow her boss has settled into being her de-facto BOYFRIEND with almost frightening naturalness.

Which, if they don't want to end up like Cass and Brandon, she should finally address.

So she takes a deep breath, "Tony?" Her voice is quiet, "Remember how I said that I didn't have time in my life for a real relationship? Back when we first made our deal few days ago, I mean?"

He nods very carefully. "Yeah."

Her smile is wry, "I think I'd missed the fact that I'm already in one."


End file.
